Emma vs Molly
Emma and Mollycompared 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 Molly #217 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #28 and Molly #20 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #84 and Molly #28 among girls in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2021, Emma was ranked #50 and Molly #100 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #53 and Molly #68 among girls in Scotland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Emma was ranked #67 and Molly #69 among girls in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #85 and Molly #120 among girls in England and Wales.
Emma and Molly over time
Emma and Molly appear together in 6 published lists, across 163 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Molly in 0.
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.
Emma reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 5 of those lists, and Molly 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 2019, Molly moved ahead of Emma in Northern Ireland · Girls — #27 and #34 the year before became #34 and #31.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Emma and Molly changed places 8 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2025, ending at #85 and #120.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 30 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Emma and Molly averaged 9.0 places apart, ending at #85 and #120.
- Longest-running competitions
Emma and Molly were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #85 and #120.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Girls within 2 years — Emma #1 in 2003, Molly #31 in 2003.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls36 shared years, 1989–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 35 of those years, Molly in 1.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Molly #18 in 2019.
The order changed in 2025: Molly moved ahead. In 2024 they stood at #17 and #22; by 2025 that had become #28 and #20.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #28, Molly #20.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 16 of those years, Molly in 14.
Highest recorded here: Emma #13 in 1997, Molly #15 in 2001.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #85, Molly #120.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Molly in 6.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Molly #18 in 2007.
The order changed in 2019: Molly moved ahead. In 2018 they stood at #27 and #34; by 2019 that had become #34 and #31.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #84, Molly #28.
New Zealand · Girls24 shared years, 1997–2023
Emma held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Molly in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Molly #31 in 2003.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Emma #67, Molly #69.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls23 shared years, 1996–2021
Emma held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Molly in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #4 in 1996, Molly #32 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Emma #50, Molly #100.
Norway · Girls22 shared years, 2003–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Molly in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Molly #167 in 2011.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #1, Molly #217.
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 | Molly |
|---|---|---|
| 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/ | |
| 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 | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #20 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Molly does not have one recorded yet.
- Emma and Molly both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Molly doesn't have one written yet.
- 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 #85 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Molly
Popularity journey
First recorded1989
First recorded at #408 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1989 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2025
Highest recorded position: #15 among girls in England and Wales, in 2001 (recorded 1996–2025).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #120 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls