Emma vs Madison
Emma and Madisoncompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #28 and Madison #148 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2018, Emma was ranked #31 and Madison #89 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Emma was ranked #67 and Madison #44 among girls in New Zealand.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #53 and Madison #135 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #69 and Madison #166 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #84 and Madison #134 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Emma and Madison over time
Emma and Madison appear together in 5 published lists, across 140 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Madison 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.
Emma reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, Madison 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2023, Madison moved ahead of Emma in New Zealand · Girls — #55 and #67 the year before became #67 and #44.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 26 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Emma and Madison averaged 27.1 places apart, ending at #31 and #89.
- Longest-running competitions
Emma and Madison were both ranked in New Zealand · Girls for 30 years, from 1994 to 2023, ending at #67 and #44.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Girls within 2 years — Emma #1 in 2003, Madison #14 in 2001.
List by list
New Zealand · Girls30 shared years, 1994–2023
Emma held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Madison in 1.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Madison #14 in 2001.
The order changed in 2023: Madison moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #55 and #67; by 2023 that had become #67 and #44.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Emma #67, Madison #44.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Madison in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #13 in 1997, Madison #35 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #69, Madison #166.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Madison in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Madison #37 in 2006.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #84, Madison #134.
Republic of Ireland · Girls27 shared years, 1995–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Madison in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Madison #86 in 2014.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #28, Madison #148.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls26 shared years, 1993–2018
Emma held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Madison in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #4 in 1995, Madison #18 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2018: Emma #31, Madison #89.
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 | Madison |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 3 |
| 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, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #148 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Madison does not have one recorded yet.
- Emma has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Madison.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Madison doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, 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
Madison
Popularity journey
First recorded1993
First recorded at #75 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1993 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1994–2023
Highest recorded position: #14 among girls in New Zealand, in 2001 (recorded 1994–2023).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #148 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls