Emma vs Mia
Emma and Miacompared 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 Mia #21 among girls in Norway.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #65 and Mia #5 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #28 and Mia #11 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Emma was ranked #67 and Mia #13 among girls in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #69 and Mia #14 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #84 and Mia #20 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #53 and Mia #26 among girls in Scotland.
Emma and Mia over time
Emma and Mia appear together in 6 published lists, across 210 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Mia in 2.
The order between them changed and held in 5 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 6 of those lists, and Mia 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.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2002, Mia moved ahead of Emma in England and Wales · Girls — #20 and #25 the year before became #27 and #20.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Emma and Mia changed places 5 times in Northern Ireland · Girls between 1997 and 2024, ending at #84 and #20.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Emma and Mia averaged 38.9 places apart, ending at #69 and #14.
- Longest-running competitions
Emma and Mia were both ranked in Norway · Girls for 65 years, from 1947 to 2025, ending at #1 and #21.
List by list
Norway · Girls65 shared years, 1947–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 47 of those years, Mia in 18.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Mia #8 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #1, Mia #21.
Republic of Ireland · Girls36 shared years, 1971–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Mia in 7.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Mia #6 in 2012.
The order changed in 2019: Mia moved ahead. In 2018 they stood at #3 and #7; by 2019 that had become #12 and #10.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #28, Mia #11.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Mia in 23.
Highest recorded here: Emma #13 in 1997, Mia #5 in 2019.
The order changed in 2002: Mia moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #20 and #25; by 2002 that had become #27 and #20.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #69, Mia #14.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls29 shared years, 1997–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Mia in 21.
Highest recorded here: Emma #4 in 1997, Mia #2 in 2008.
The order changed in 2005: Mia moved ahead. In 2004 they stood at #9 and #12; by 2005 that had become #11 and #9.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #65, Mia #5.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Mia in 11.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Mia #14 in 2015.
The order changed in 2018: Mia moved ahead. In 2017 they stood at #22 and #30; by 2018 that had become #27 and #23.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #84, Mia #20.
New Zealand · Girls23 shared years, 2001–2023
Emma held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Mia in 11.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Mia #7 in 2017.
The order changed in 2013: Mia moved ahead. In 2012 they stood at #13 and #14; by 2013 that had become #15 and #13.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Emma #67, Mia #13.
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 | Mia |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Directly a diminutive of Maria. |
| Origin | Germanic | Scandinavian/Italian, via Maria |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛm.ə/ | /ˈmiːə/ |
| 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 #5 (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 Mia is recorded with a Scandinavian/Italian, via Maria origin.
- Emma has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Mia.
- Emma's recorded meaning differs from Mia'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
Mia
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #357 among girls in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1997–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2008 (recorded 1997–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #5 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls