Emma vs Niamh
Emma and Niamhcompared 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.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2000, Emma was ranked #7 and Niamh #94 among girls in New Zealand.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #28 and Niamh #90 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #84 and Niamh #47 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #53 and Niamh #76 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #69 and Niamh #193 among girls in England and Wales.
Emma and Niamh over time
Emma and Niamh appear together in 3 published lists, across 119 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Niamh 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 2 of those lists, Niamh 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 2016, Niamh moved ahead of Emma in Northern Ireland · Girls — #20 and #23 the year before became #25 and #25.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Emma and Niamh changed places 5 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1964 and 2025, ending at #28 and #90.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Emma and Niamh averaged 53.2 places apart, ending at #69 and #193.
- Longest-running competitions
Emma and Niamh were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 62 years, from 1964 to 2025, ending at #28 and #90.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Emma #1 in 2003, Niamh #5 in 2005.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls62 shared years, 1964–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 43 of those years, Niamh in 19.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Niamh #2 in 1993.
The order changed in 2000: Emma moved ahead. In 1999 they stood at #6 and #5; by 2000 that had become #4 and #6.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #28, Niamh #90.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Niamh in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #13 in 1997, Niamh #40 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #69, Niamh #193.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 19 of those years, Niamh in 8.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Niamh #5 in 2005.
The order changed in 2016: Niamh moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #20 and #23; by 2016 that had become #25 and #25.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #84, Niamh #47.
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 | Niamh |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Traditionally interpreted as 'bright' or 'radiant'. In Irish mythology, Niamh was daughter of the sea god Manannán mac Lir, who fell in love with the poet Oisín. |
| Origin | Germanic | Irish (mythological) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛm.ə/ | /ˈnʲiːvˠ/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Neve, Níam |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #90 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | high |
What the data shows
- Emma is recorded with a Germanic origin, while Niamh is recorded with a Irish (mythological) origin.
- Emma has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Niamh.
- Emma's recorded meaning differs from Niamh's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
- The available evidence gives Emma a "medium" Data Confidence level and Niamh a "high" level — this reflects how complete and corroborated the underlying evidence is, not a judgement of either name.
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
Niamh
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #109 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1993 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #90 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls