Total births
33,096
Boys' name · since 1880
Emil
Emil has 33,096 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1917 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1243
- among boys today
- 33,096
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 91%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Emil is the #1243 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 33,096 recorded since 1880.
Emil has 33,096 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1243 as of the latest data, more common than 91% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1243 among boys today
- 33,096 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 91% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Emil is currently the #1243 boys' name in America, more common than 91% of boys - 33,096 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1243
- among boys today
- 33,096
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 91%
- more common than other boys
Emil vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1243
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 91% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Emil was born in this single decade.
1917
Single peak year
1,004 babies were named Emil in 1917 - its busiest year on record.
How Emil compares
33,096 Top 5% higher than 95% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Emil's all-time total is 90x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Emil | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 33,096 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 1,004 | 23 | 22,252 |
Emil's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Emil splits its recorded history at 1953: 25% of all births land in the more recent half, 75% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1986 (63 births) -- compare that against the 1917 peak of 1,004 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Emil at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1917
Current rank
#1,243
Active since
1880
Emil popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1917)
- 1,004
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Emil popularity over time - girls
134 total births recorded since 1896 (Emil as girls' name)
Emil by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Emil's strongest decade.
7,170 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Emil births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,434
1880s
1,434 births
- 1890s 1,438
1890s
1,438 births
- 1900s 1,319
1900s
1,319 births
- 1910s
1910s
6,701 births
- 1920s
1920s
7,170 births
- 1930s
1930s
3,518 births
- 1940s 2,498
1940s
2,498 births
- 1950s 1,861
1950s
1,861 births
- 1960s 1,266
1960s
1,266 births
- 1970s 963
1970s
963 births
- 1980s 810
1980s
810 births
- 1990s 837
1990s
837 births
- 2000s 1,047
2000s
1,047 births
- 2010s 1,241
2010s
1,241 births
- 2020s 993
2020s
993 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 7,170 births (22% of all-time use).
How Emil compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Emil's total volume
Emil vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Emil by state
Where Emil concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 3,657 | 11.0% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 2,555 | 7.7% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 2,554 | 7.7% |
| #4 | New Jersey | | 2,001 | 6.0% |
| #5 | California | | 1,682 | 5.1% |
| #6 | Texas | | 1,544 | 4.7% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 1,435 | 4.3% |
| #8 | Wisconsin | | 1,206 | 3.6% |
New York share of Emil's total US births 11.0%
Even split
3,657 of 33,096 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Emil appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Emil? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 33,096 babies named Emil. Today it holds rank #1243 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1917, with 1,004 births.
When was Emil most popular? ▼
Emil was most popular in the 1920s decade with 7,170 total births. The single peak year was 1917.
Where is Emil most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Emil are New York (3,657 births), Illinois (2,555 births), Pennsylvania (2,554 births).
How long has the name Emil been used? ▼
Emil has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Emil? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Emilio, Emiliano, Emile, Emir, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Emil's data
- Emil's decade-level peak was the 1920s (7,170 total births); usage has since declined to 993 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Emils (3,657 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Emil
Nearby Names Like Emil
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Emil
Emilio Boy
#151 53,955 births
Emiliano Boy
#113 42,844 births
Emile Boy
#1902 8,641 births
Emir Boy
#558 5,615 births
Emily Boy
#7794 1,809 births
Compare Emil side by side: Emil vs Emilio Emil vs Emiliano Emil vs Emile
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Emil
Amar #1242
4,989 births · Peak 2023
Pierre #1244
19,069 births · Peak 1988
Francesco #1241
8,446 births · Peak 2006
Harlow #1245
2,669 births · Peak 2023
Endrick #1240
362 births · Peak 2024
Braden #1246
46,235 births · Peak 2005
Kaizer #1239
1,367 births · Peak 2024
Benaiah #1247
2,416 births · Peak 2025
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Emil: #1243 Boys' Name - 33,096 Births, Peak 1917." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/emil. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Emil 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 June 2026.