Unisex name · since 1904
Emerald
9,518 babies named Emerald in U.S. Social Security records since 1904, with the highest year being 2024. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,736 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #741 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 9,518
- born since 1904
- 1990s
- peak decade
Emerald currently ranks #741 among unisex names in America, with 9,518 babies recorded since 1904.
Emerald has 9,518 recorded births among girls since 1904, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #741 as of the latest data, more common than 96% of girls, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1904 to 2025.
- #1,736 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #741 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 9,518 born since 1904
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Emerald ranks #1,736 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #741 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 9,518 born since 1904, peaking in the 1990s.
- #1,736 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #741 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 9,518
- born since 1904
- 1990s
- peak decade
Emerald's 9,518 recorded births place it above 97.6% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
38 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Emerald compares
9,518 Top 10% higher than 90% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Emerald's all-time total is 25x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Emerald | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 9,518 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 397 | 21 | 19,840 |
Emerald's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Emerald's SSA record in two at 1979 and the more recent half accounts for 96% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 4%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1904, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2024 peak of 397, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Emerald popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1904–2025
- Peak year (2024)
- 397
- Annual births at peak, across 122 years of records
Emerald popularity over time - boys
538 total births recorded since 1908 (Emerald as boys' name)
Emerald by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (2,212 births, 23% of the file).
1990s was Emerald's strongest decade.
2,212 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Emerald births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 17
1900s
17 births
- 1910s 82
1910s
82 births
- 1920s 78
1920s
78 births
- 1930s 11
1930s
11 births
- 1940s 29
1940s
29 births
- 1950s 31
1950s
31 births
- 1960s 42
1960s
42 births
- 1970s 152
1970s
152 births
- 1980s
1980s
935 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,212 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,836 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,012 births
- 2020s
2020s
2,081 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 2,212 births (23% of all-time use).
How Emerald compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Emerald's total volume
Emerald by state
Where Emerald concentrates geographically, total births since 1904
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,294 | 13.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,274 | 13.4% |
| #3 | Florida | | 431 | 4.5% |
| #4 | New York | | 365 | 3.8% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 330 | 3.5% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 322 | 3.4% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 206 | 2.2% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 177 | 1.9% |
1,294 of 9,518 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 38 reporting states.
Emerald appears in 38 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Emerald's data
- Emerald's usage has stayed within range of its 1990s decade-level peak (2,212 total births) through the 2020s (2,081) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Emeralds (1,294 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Emerald
Nearby Names Like Emerald
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Emerald
Compare Emerald side by side: Emerald vs Emery Emerald vs Emerson Emerald vs Emely
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Emerald
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Emerald: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2024)
Similar record span (~121 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1904–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Emerald draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.