Emma vs Sarah
Emma and Sarahcompared 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 Sarah #115 among girls in Norway.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2019, Emma was ranked #27 and Sarah #100 among girls in New Zealand.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #28 and Sarah #66 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2021, Emma was ranked #50 and Sarah #96 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #53 and Sarah #148 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #69 and Sarah #130 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #84 and Sarah #75 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Emma and Sarah over time
Emma and Sarah appear together in 6 published lists, across 284 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in 4 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Sarah 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 2009, Emma moved ahead of Sarah in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #20 and #19 the year before became #19 and #20.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Emma and Sarah changed places 10 times in Norway · Girls between 1963 and 2025, ending at #1 and #115.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Emma and Sarah averaged 36.6 places apart, ending at #69 and #130.
- Longest-running competitions
Emma and Sarah were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Girls for 53 years, from 1969 to 2021, ending at #50 and #96.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Emma #13 in 1997, Sarah #18 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls62 shared years, 1964–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 20 of those years, Sarah in 42.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Sarah #1 in 1983.
The order changed in 2009: Emma moved ahead. In 2008 they stood at #4 and #3; by 2009 that had become #3 and #4.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #28, Sarah #66.
Norway · Girls61 shared years, 1963–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 39 of those years, Sarah in 22.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Sarah #35 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #1, Sarah #115.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls53 shared years, 1969–2021
Emma held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Sarah in 38.
Highest recorded here: Emma #3 in 1988, Sarah #2 in 1981.
The order changed in 2009: Emma moved ahead. In 2008 they stood at #20 and #19; by 2009 that had become #19 and #20.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Emma #50, Sarah #96.
New Zealand · Girls51 shared years, 1969–2019
Emma held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Sarah in 29.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Sarah #1 in 1974.
The order changed in 1998: Emma moved ahead. In 1997 they stood at #5 and #4; by 1998 that had become #5 and #7.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Emma #27, Sarah #100.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Sarah in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #13 in 1997, Sarah #18 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #69, Sarah #130.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Sarah in 3.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Sarah #5 in 2002.
The order changed in 2023: Sarah moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #46 and #53; by 2023 that had become #95 and #79.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #84, Sarah #75.
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 | Sarah |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | From Hebrew, meaning 'lady, princess, noblewoman'. In the Old Testament, Sarah's name was changed from Sarai by God, alongside Abraham's own name change (Genesis 17:15); she is regarded as matriarch of the Jewish people. |
| Origin | Germanic | Biblical Hebrew |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛm.ə/ | /ˈsɛɹ.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 #66 (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 | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma is recorded with a Germanic origin, while Sarah is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew origin.
- Emma and Sarah both have 2 syllables.
- Emma's recorded meaning differs from Sarah'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
Sarah
Popularity journey
First recorded1958
First recorded at #86 among girls in New Zealand in 1958 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New Zealand · Girls
Highest recorded1958–2019
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in New Zealand, in 1974 (recorded 1958–2019).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #115 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls