Emma vs Shauna
Emma and Shaunacompared 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.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #28 and Shauna #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2019, Emma was ranked #34 and Shauna #424 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #69 and Shauna #4192 among girls in England and Wales.
Emma and Shauna over time
Emma and Shauna appear together in 3 published lists, across 111 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Shauna in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Shauna reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 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.
- Mirrored each other
Over 60 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Emma rose about as far as Shauna fell — from #226 and #380 in 1966 to #28 and #885 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Emma and Shauna were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 60 years, from 1966 to 2025, ending at #28 and #885.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls60 shared years, 1966–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 60 of those years, Shauna in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Shauna #6 in 1993.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #28, Shauna #885.
England and Wales · Girls28 shared years, 1996–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Shauna in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #13 in 1997, Shauna #115 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #69, Shauna #4192.
Northern Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 1997–2019
Emma held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Shauna in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Shauna #46 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Emma #34, Shauna #424.
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 | Shauna |
|---|---|---|
| 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/ | Not yet recorded |
| 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 | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #885 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Shauna does not have one recorded yet.
- Emma and Shauna both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Shauna doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
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
Shauna
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #380 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1966 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1966–2025
Highest recorded position: #6 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1993 (recorded 1966–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls