Emma vs Kaia
Emma and Kaiacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #1 and Kaia #129 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #28 and Kaia #130 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Emma was ranked #67 and Kaia #46 among girls in New Zealand.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #53 and Kaia #244 among girls in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #65 and Kaia #70 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #69 and Kaia #283 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #84 and Kaia #161 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Emma and Kaia over time
Emma and Kaia appear together in 4 published lists, across 112 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Kaia in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Emma reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Kaia in 1. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Longest-running competitions
Emma and Kaia were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 54 years, from 1951 to 2025, ending at #1 and #129.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Norway · Girls within 2 years — Emma #1 in 2003, Kaia #113 in 2001.
List by list
Norway · Girls54 shared years, 1951–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 54 of those years, Kaia in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Kaia #113 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #1, Kaia #129.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Kaia in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #13 in 1997, Kaia #283 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #69, Kaia #283.
Republic of Ireland · Girls19 shared years, 2002–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Kaia in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Kaia #130 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #28, Kaia #130.
Northern Ireland · Girls10 shared years, 2002–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Kaia in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #7 in 2002, Kaia #161 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #84, Kaia #161.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Emma | Kaia |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | A shortened form of Germanic names beginning with the element 'irmin' ('whole, great'), from Proto-Germanic *ermunaz. Introduced to England by Emma of Normandy, wife of King Ethelred II and later King Canute; further popularised by Jane Austen's 1816 novel Emma. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Germanic | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛm.ə/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #70 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Kaia does not have one recorded yet.
- Emma has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Kaia.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Kaia doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Emma
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #342 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1969–2023
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in New Zealand, in 2003 (recorded 1969–2023).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #65 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Kaia
Popularity journey
First recorded1951
First recorded at #368 among girls in Norway in 1951 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded2018–2023
Highest recorded position: #46 among girls in New Zealand, in 2023 (recorded 2018–2023).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #70 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls