Emma
Germanic in origin, originally a short form of longer names beginning with ermen, meaning whole or universal. Norman settlers brought it to England.
Emma in 2025
Emma was given to 12,768 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 7th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 260 babies born.
The history of Emma
Emma has been the single most popular name in the country 4 times, and reached its highest point in 2003, when 22,756 babies were given the name.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 778,172 babies have been named Emma. Half of them were born before 2004, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Z.
Emma by decade
| Decade | Babies named Emma | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 25,512 | 9 |
| 1890s | 28,763 | 10 |
| 1900s | 24,268 | 21 |
| 1910s | 41,963 | 46 |
| 1920s | 46,730 | 87 |
| 1930s | 30,230 | 128 |
| 1940s | 22,901 | 177 |
| 1950s | 14,657 | 299 |
| 1960s | 7,011 | 546 |
| 1970s | 4,681 | 745 |
| 1980s | 10,443 | 307 |
| 1990s | 58,322 | 53 |
| 2000s | 181,711 | 6 |
| 2010s | 195,232 | 1 |
| 2020s | 85,748 | 4 |
Where Emma is heading
Emma has fallen 38% over the past decade, from 20,497 babies in 2015 to 12,768 in 2025.
Names like Emma
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Emma.