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Original · left

Badge (insignia)

An emblem worn to show membership, rank or achievement.

First in use: the 1300s
Duplicate · right

Badge (UI)

A small counter or label on an icon, such as an unread-notification count.

First in use: the 2000s

Badge / Badge (insignia) / Badge (UI)

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Canonical todayMeasuring…
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Duplicate share · 12 mo—
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Colour keyGrey · original meaningGreen · duplicate meaningAmber · contested (40–60%)How colours work

Police badges vs. unread counts.

Which meaning of Badge is the original, and which one is the duplicate riding on its name? Badge (insignia) came first (the 1300s). Badge (UI) arrived in the 2000s. The data below shows which one owns the word now.

Wikipedia pageviews since 2015

Badge (insignia)Badge (UI)
English Wikipedia pageviews since July 2015 load here.

Duplicate's share of attention

Green line = duplicate's % · above 60 it owns the word · below 40 the original does

Share-of-attention line loads here.

The case for each meaning

Sourced definitions, usage stats and quotes

Original · the 1300s

Badge (insignia)

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Duplicate · the 2000s

Badge (UI)

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More duplicated terms

Design & UX