Total births
8,641
Unisex name · since 1880
Emile
8,641 babies named Emile in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1922. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1902
- among boys today
- 8,641
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 87%
- more common than other boys
8,641 babies have been named Emile since 1880, making it today's #1902 unisex name.
Emile has 8,641 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1902 as of the latest data, more common than 87% 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.
- #1902 among boys today
- 8,641 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 87% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Emile is currently the #1902 unisex name in America, more common than 87% of boys - 8,641 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1902
- among boys today
- 8,641
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 87%
- more common than other boys
Emile vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1902
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 87% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
16% of everyone ever named Emile was born in this single decade.
1922
Single peak year
167 babies were named Emile in 1922 - its busiest year on record.
How Emile compares
8,641 Top 9% higher than 91% 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
Emile's all-time total is 24x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Emile | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 8,641 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 167 | 23 | 22,252 |
Emile's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Emile splits its recorded history at 1953: 39% of all births land in the more recent half, 61% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1880 (12 births) -- compare that against the 1922 peak of 167 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Emile at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1922
Current rank
#1,902
Active since
1880
Emile popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1922)
- 167
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Emile popularity over time - girls
648 total births recorded since 1891 (Emile as girls' name)
Emile by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Emile's strongest decade.
1,420 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
Emile births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 233
1880s
233 births
- 1890s 247
1890s
247 births
- 1900s 264
1900s
264 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,093 births
- 1920s
1920s
1,420 births
- 1930s
1930s
971 births
- 1940s
1940s
830 births
- 1950s
1950s
671 births
- 1960s 520
1960s
520 births
- 1970s 392
1970s
392 births
- 1980s 328
1980s
328 births
- 1990s 320
1990s
320 births
- 2000s 396
2000s
396 births
- 2010s 511
2010s
511 births
- 2020s 445
2020s
445 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 1,420 births (16% of all-time use).
How Emile 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 Emile's total volume
Emile vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Emile by state
Where Emile concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Louisiana | | 2,200 | 25.5% |
| #2 | Massachusetts | | 697 | 8.1% |
| #3 | California | | 554 | 6.4% |
| #4 | New York | | 440 | 5.1% |
| #5 | Maine | | 285 | 3.3% |
| #6 | Rhode Island | | 240 | 2.8% |
| #7 | New Hampshire | | 161 | 1.9% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 85 | 1.0% |
Louisiana share of Emile's total US births 25.5%
Even split
2,200 of 8,641 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 20 reporting states.
Emile appears in 20 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Emile? ▼
8,641 babies have been named Emile since 1880. It currently ranks #1902 among boys. The peak year was 1922 with 167 births.
When was Emile most popular? ▼
Emile was most popular in the 1920s decade with 1,420 total births. The single peak year was 1922.
Where is Emile most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Emile are Louisiana (2,200 births), Massachusetts (697 births), California (554 births).
Is Emile a unisex name? ▼
Yes, Emile is used for both boys and girls. As a boy's name it has 8,641 births, and as a girl's name it has 648 births.
How long has the name Emile been used? ▼
Records for Emile go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Emile? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Emilio, Emiliano, Emil, Emir, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Emile's data
- Emile's decade-level peak was the 1920s (1,420 total births); usage has since declined to 445 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Louisiana records the most Emiles (2,200 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Louisiana 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 Emile
Nearby Names Like Emile
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Emile
Emilio Boy
#151 53,955 births
Emiliano Boy
#113 42,844 births
Emil Boy
#1243 33,096 births
Emir Boy
#558 5,615 births
Emily Boy
#7794 1,809 births
Compare Emile side by side: Emile vs Emilio Emile vs Emiliano Emile vs Emil
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Emile
Kassius #1901
1,187 births · Peak 2022
Gene #1903
126,877 births · Peak 1937
Mavrick #1900
1,694 births · Peak 2020
Roderick #1904
47,183 births · Peak 1971
Ezriel #1899
1,006 births · Peak 2024
Marlin #1905
21,172 births · Peak 1935
Iman #1898
1,485 births · Peak 2025
Carmen #1906
16,961 births · Peak 1924
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. "Emile: #1902 Unisex Name - 8,641 Births, Peak 1922." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/emile. 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 Emile 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.