Unisex name · since 1993
Emerson
Since 1993, U.S. Social Security records show 34,050 babies named Emerson, peaking in 2025. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #767 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #122 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 34,050
- born since 1993
- 2010s
- peak decade
34,050 babies have been named Emerson since 1993, making it today's #122 unisex name.
Social Security Administration records show Emerson recorded 34,050 times among girls since 1993, holding rank #122 nationally today, ahead of 99.3% of girls, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1993 to 2025.
- #767 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #122 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 34,050 born since 1993
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Emerson ranks #767 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #122 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 34,050 born since 1993, peaking in the 2010s.
- #767 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #122 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 34,050
- born since 1993
- 2010s
- peak decade
Emerson's 34,050 recorded births place it above 98.93% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Emerson compares
34,050 Top 5% higher than 95% 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
Emerson's all-time total is 91x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Emerson | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 34,050 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,241 | 21 | 19,840 |
Emerson's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Emerson splits its recorded history at 2009: 84% of all births land in the more recent half, 16% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1993 (11 births) -- compare that against the 2025 peak of 2,241 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Emerson popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1993–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 2,241
- Annual births at peak, across 33 years of records
Emerson popularity over time - boys
33,521 total births recorded since 1880 (Emerson as boys' name)
Emerson by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (16,233 births, 48% of the file).
2010s was Emerson's strongest decade.
16,233 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 48% of all-time use.
Emerson births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1990s 366
1990s
366 births
- 2000s 6,205
2000s
6,205 births
- 2010s
2010s
16,233 births
- 2020s
2020s
11,246 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 16,233 births (48% of all-time use).
How Emerson 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 Emerson's total volume
Emerson by state
Where Emerson concentrates geographically, total births since 1993
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 2,924 | 8.6% |
| #2 | California | | 2,278 | 6.7% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 1,756 | 5.2% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 1,649 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 1,409 | 4.1% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 1,371 | 4.0% |
| #7 | Florida | | 1,284 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 1,283 | 3.8% |
2,924 of 34,050 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Emerson appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Emerson's data
- Emerson's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (16,233 total births) through the 2020s (11,246) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Emersons (2,924 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Emerson
Nearby Names Like Emerson
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Emerson
Compare Emerson side by side: Emerson vs Emery Emerson vs Emely Emerson vs Emersyn
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Emerson
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Emerson: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2025)
Similar record span (~32 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, 1993–2025 (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 Emerson 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.