Emma vs Zoe
Emma and Zoecompared 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 Zoe #313 among girls in Norway.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #65 and Zoe #19 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Emma was ranked #67 and Zoe #24 among girls in New Zealand.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #28 and Zoe #46 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #53 and Zoe #76 among girls in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Emma was ranked #84 and Zoe #105 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Emma was ranked #85 and Zoe #104 among girls in England and Wales.
Emma and Zoe over time
Emma and Zoe appear together in 6 published lists, across 224 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Zoe 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 4 of those lists, Zoe 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 2007, Zoe moved ahead of Emma in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #18 and #19 the year before became #19 and #17.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 30 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Emma and Zoe averaged 36.3 places apart, ending at #85 and #104.
- Longest-running competitions
Emma and Zoe were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #85 and #104.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Emma #13 in 1997, Zoe #31 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls57 shared years, 1968–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 57 of those years, Zoe in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Zoe #26 in 2016.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #28, Zoe #46.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls44 shared years, 1981–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Zoe in 19.
Highest recorded here: Emma #3 in 1988, Zoe #8 in 2015.
The order changed in 2007: Zoe moved ahead. In 2006 they stood at #18 and #19; by 2007 that had become #19 and #17.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #65, Zoe #19.
New Zealand · Girls36 shared years, 1988–2023
Emma held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Zoe in 9.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Zoe #11 in 2010.
The order changed in 2016: Zoe moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #13 and #17; by 2016 that had become #26 and #16.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Emma #67, Zoe #24.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Zoe in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #13 in 1997, Zoe #31 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #85, Zoe #104.
Norway · Girls29 shared years, 1987–2025
Emma held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Zoe in 0.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Zoe #211 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Emma #1, Zoe #313.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Emma held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Zoe in 1.
Highest recorded here: Emma #1 in 2003, Zoe #32 in 2002.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Emma #84, Zoe #105.
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 | Zoe |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Means 'life' in Greek. |
| Origin | Germanic | Ancient Greek |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛm.ə/ | /ˈzoʊi/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| 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) | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #19 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma is recorded with a Germanic origin, while Zoe is recorded with a Ancient Greek origin.
- Emma has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Zoe.
- Emma's recorded meaning differs from Zoe'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
Zoe
Popularity journey
First recorded1968
First recorded at #401 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1968 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1981–2025
Highest recorded position: #8 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2015 (recorded 1981–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #104 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls