Emma vs Samantha
Emma and Samanthacompared 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 Samantha #525 among girls in Norway.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2015, Emma was ranked #13 and Samantha #85 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2013, Emma was ranked #20 and Samantha #84 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #28 and Samantha #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #53 and Samantha #541 among girls in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2021, Emma was ranked #55 and Samantha #446 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #85 and Samantha #778 among girls in England and Wales.
Emma and Samantha over time
Emma and Samantha appear together in 6 published lists, across 238 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Samantha 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.
Samantha reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, Emma in 2. 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 1994, Emma moved ahead of Samantha in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #6 and #5 the year before became #6 and #7.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Emma and Samantha changed places 5 times in New South Wales, Australia · Girls between 1969 and 2013, ending at #20 and #84.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 45 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Emma and Samantha averaged 18.0 places apart, ending at #20 and #84.
- Mirrored each other
Over 45 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Emma rose about as far as Samantha fell — from #90 and #37 in 1969 to #20 and #84 in 2013.
- Longest-running competitions
Emma and Samantha were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #85 and #778.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Emma #13 in 1997, Samantha #32 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls60 shared years, 1966–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 56 of those years, Samantha in 4.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Samantha #33 in 1986.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #28, Samantha #885.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls45 shared years, 1969–2013
Emma held the stronger position in 34 of those years, Samantha in 11.
Highest recorded here: Emma #3 in 1988, Samantha #3 in 1992.
The order changed in 1994: Emma moved ahead. In 1993 they stood at #6 and #5; by 1994 that had become #6 and #7.
Most recent shared year, 2013: Emma #20, Samantha #84.
Norway · Girls43 shared years, 1969–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 43 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Samantha #298 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #1, Samantha #525.
New Zealand · Girls37 shared years, 1978–2015
Emma held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Samantha in 8.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Samantha #3 in 1989.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Emma #13, Samantha #85.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #13 in 1997, Samantha #32 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #85, Samantha #778.
Northern Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 1997–2021
Emma held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Samantha #57 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Emma #55, Samantha #446.
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 | Samantha |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Likely a feminine adaptation of Samuel, incorporating a suffix possibly derived from Greek 'anthos' ('flower'). Emerged in 18th-century America; boosted to wide popularity by the 1964 television series Bewitched. |
| Origin | Germanic | Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛm.ə/ | /sə.ˈmæn.θə/ |
| 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) | Norway · Girls #525 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma is recorded with a Germanic origin, while Samantha is recorded with a Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) origin.
- Emma has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Samantha.
- Emma's recorded meaning differs from Samantha'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 #85 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Samantha
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #79 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1966 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1966–2013
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1992 (recorded 1966–2013).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #778 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls