Emma vs Åslaug
Emma and Åslaugcompared 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 1985, Emma was ranked #162 and Åslaug #687 among girls in Norway.
Emma and Åslaug over time
Emma and Åslaug appear together in 1 published list, across 27 years of shared records. Emma held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Åslaug 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.
Åslaug reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Emma in none. 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.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Emma and Åslaug changed places 7 times in Norway · Girls between 1947 and 1985, ending at #162 and #687.
List by list
Norway · Girls27 shared years, 1947–1985
Emma held the stronger position in 17 of those years, Åslaug in 10.
Highest recorded here: Emma #162 in 1985, Åslaug #250 in 1949.
The order changed in 1973: Emma moved ahead. In 1972 they stood at #441 and #364; by 1973 that had become #293 and #621.
Most recent shared year, 1985: Emma #162, Åslaug #687.
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.
Where to go next
Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.
Other comparisons involving Emma
Pairs where Emma shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Emma vs Danielle
In 1996 they stood at #14 and #20 in England and Wales · Girls, 6 places apart; by 2024 they were #69 and #934.
Emma · Danielle · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
- Emma vs Bethany
In 1996 they stood at #14 and #13 in England and Wales · Girls, 1 places apart; by 2024 they were #69 and #539.
Emma · Bethany · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
- Emma vs Megan
In 1996 they stood at #14 and #10 in England and Wales · Girls, 4 places apart; by 2024 they were #69 and #503.
Emma · Megan · 29 shared years, 1996–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
- Emma vs Courtney
In 1997 they stood at #4 and #12 in Northern Ireland · Girls, 8 places apart; by 2017 they were #22 and #432.
Emma · Courtney · 21 shared years, 1997–2017 · Started together, ended far apart
Side by side
| Field | Emma | Åslaug |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #1 (2025) | Norway · Girls #687 (1985) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Emma has a recorded origin (Germanic); Åslaug does not have one recorded yet.
- Emma has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Åslaug.
- A meaning is recorded for Emma; Åslaug doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
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
Åslaug
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #302 among girls in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1947–1985
Highest recorded position: #250 among girls in Norway, in 1949 (recorded 1947–1985).
Norway · Girls
Most recent1985
Most recently recorded at #687 among girls in Norway, in 1985.
Norway · Girls