Emma vs Leah
Emma and Leahcompared 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 Leah #12 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #28 and Leah #55 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #53 and Leah #145 among girls in Scotland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2022, Emma was ranked #55 and Leah #96 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #65 and Leah #89 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #69 and Leah #184 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #84 and Leah #119 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Emma and Leah over time
Emma and Leah appear together in 6 published lists, across 222 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Leah in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Emma reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, Leah 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.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Emma and Leah averaged 33.0 places apart, ending at #69 and #184.
- Longest-running competitions
Emma and Leah were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Girls for 33 years, from 1971 to 2025, ending at #65 and #89.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Emma #1 in 2003, Leah #10 in 2005.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls56 shared years, 1966–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 56 of those years, Leah in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Leah #9 in 2004.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #28, Leah #55.
Norway · Girls40 shared years, 1982–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 40 of those years, Leah in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Leah #12 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #1, Leah #12.
New Zealand · Girls36 shared years, 1976–2022
Emma held the stronger position in 36 of those years, Leah in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Leah #39 in 2012.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Emma #55, Leah #96.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls33 shared years, 1971–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 33 of those years, Leah in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #3 in 1988, Leah #47 in 1983.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #65, Leah #89.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Leah in 1.
Highest recorded here: Emma #13 in 1997, Leah #24 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #69, Leah #184.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Leah in 1.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Leah #10 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #84, Leah #119.
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 | Leah |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| 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. | Likely derives from a Hebrew word meaning 'weary, grieved'; an alternative theory suggests a connection to Akkadian 'littu' ('cow'). In the Old Testament, Leah was Jacob's first wife. |
| Origin | Germanic | Biblical Hebrew, etymology disputed |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛm.ə/ | /ˈliː.ə/ |
| 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) | Norway · Girls #12 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| 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 is recorded with a Germanic origin, while Leah is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew, etymology disputed origin.
- Emma has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Leah.
- Emma's recorded meaning differs from Leah's — see the table above for each.
- 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
Leah
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #310 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1966 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1966–2025
Highest recorded position: #9 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2004 (recorded 1966–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #89 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls