Emma vs Melissa
Emma and Melissacompared 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 Melissa #268 among girls in Norway.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2002, Emma was ranked #4 and Melissa #69 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2000, Emma was ranked #7 and Melissa #92 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #28 and Melissa #173 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #53 and Melissa #541 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #69 and Melissa #280 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2023, Emma was ranked #95 and Melissa #328 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Emma and Melissa over time
Emma and Melissa appear together in 6 published lists, across 235 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 5 of them, Melissa in 1.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Melissa reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, Emma 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 1988, Emma moved ahead of Melissa in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #8 and #6 the year before became #3 and #6.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 32 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Emma and Melissa averaged 26.0 places apart, ending at #7 and #92.
- Longest-running competitions
Emma and Melissa were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Girls for 32 years, from 1969 to 2000, ending at #7 and #92.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Emma #13 in 1997, Melissa #46 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls61 shared years, 1964–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 61 of those years, Melissa in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Melissa #48 in 1984.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #28, Melissa #173.
Norway · Girls53 shared years, 1964–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 53 of those years, Melissa in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Melissa #141 in 2012.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #1, Melissa #268.
New Zealand · Girls34 shared years, 1969–2002
Emma held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Melissa in 9.
Highest recorded here: Emma #2 in 1988, Melissa #7 in 1984.
The order changed in 1979: Emma moved ahead. In 1978 they stood at #16 and #10; by 1979 that had become #11 and #14.
Most recent shared year, 2002: Emma #4, Melissa #69.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls32 shared years, 1969–2000
Emma held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Melissa in 19.
Highest recorded here: Emma #3 in 1988, Melissa #2 in 1977.
The order changed in 1988: Emma moved ahead. In 1987 they stood at #8 and #6; by 1988 that had become #3 and #6.
Most recent shared year, 2000: Emma #7, Melissa #92.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Melissa in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #13 in 1997, Melissa #46 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #69, Melissa #280.
Northern Ireland · Girls26 shared years, 1997–2023
Emma held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Melissa in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Melissa #43 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Emma #95, Melissa #328.
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 | Melissa |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Means 'bee' in Greek. Borne in mythology by a daughter of Procles and used as an epithet for various nymphs and priestesses; appears in Ludovico Ariosto's 1532 poem Orlando Furioso. |
| Origin | Germanic | Greek |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛm.ə/ | /mə.ˈlɪs.ə/ |
| 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, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #173 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| 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 is recorded with a Germanic origin, while Melissa is recorded with a Greek origin.
- Emma has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Melissa.
- Emma's recorded meaning differs from Melissa'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
Melissa
Popularity journey
First recorded1962
First recorded at #78 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1962 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1962–2000
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1977 (recorded 1962–2000).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #268 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls