Emma vs Katja
Emma and Katjacompared 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 2017, Emma was ranked #1 and Katja #496 among girls in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2016, Emma was ranked #53 and Katja #5785 among girls in England and Wales.
Emma and Katja over time
Emma and Katja appear together in 2 published lists, across 60 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Katja in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Katja reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Emma in none. 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.
- Mirrored each other
Over 44 shared years in Norway · Girls, Emma rose about as far as Katja fell — from #348 and #294 in 1968 to #1 and #496 in 2017.
- Longest-running competitions
Emma and Katja were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 44 years, from 1968 to 2017, ending at #1 and #496.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Emma #13 in 1997, Katja #1666 in 1997.
List by list
Norway · Girls44 shared years, 1968–2017
Emma held the stronger position in 37 of those years, Katja in 7.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2004, Katja #229 in 1975.
The order changed in 1977: Emma moved ahead. In 1976 they stood at #422 and #298; by 1977 that had become #240 and #307.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Emma #1, Katja #496.
England and Wales · Girls16 shared years, 1996–2016
Emma held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Katja in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #13 in 1997, Katja #1666 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2016: Emma #53, Katja #5785.
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 | Katja |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) | Norway · Girls #496 (2017) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Katja does not have one recorded yet.
- Emma and Katja both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Katja doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, NO.
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
Katja
Popularity journey
First recorded1967
First recorded at #515 among girls in Norway in 1967 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1967–2017
Highest recorded position: #229 among girls in Norway, in 1975 (recorded 1967–2017).
Norway · Girls
Most recent2017
Most recently recorded at #496 among girls in Norway, in 2017.
Norway · Girls