Total births
776,439
Girls' name · since 1880
Emma
776,439 babies named Emma in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2003. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2
- among girls today
- 776,439
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99.9%
- more common than other girls
776,439 babies have been named Emma since 1880, making it today's #2 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Emma recorded 776,439 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #2 nationally today, ahead of 99.9% 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 1880 to 2025.
- #2 among girls today
- 776,439 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
- 99.9% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Emma is currently the #2 girls' name in America, more common than 99.9% of girls - 776,439 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #2
- among girls today
- 776,439
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99.9%
- more common than other girls
Emma vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99.9% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
25% of everyone ever named Emma was born in this single decade.
2003
Single peak year
22,719 babies were named Emma in 2003 - its busiest year on record.
How Emma compares
776,439 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 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
Emma's all-time total is 2,033x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Emma | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 776,439 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 22,719 | 48 | 19,840 |
Emma's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Emma's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 71% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 29%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1976, with only 414 births recorded -- set against the 2003 peak of 22,719, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Emma at a glance
Top 10 girls' namePeak year
2003
Current rank
#2
Active since
1880
Emma popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2003)
- 22,719
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Emma popularity over time - boys
1,733 total births recorded since 1880 (Emma as boys' name)
Emma by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Emma's strongest decade.
195,070 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 25% of all-time use.
Emma births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 25,404
1880s
25,404 births
- 1890s 28,652
1890s
28,652 births
- 1900s 24,176
1900s
24,176 births
- 1910s 41,819
1910s
41,819 births
- 1920s 46,538
1920s
46,538 births
- 1930s 30,022
1930s
30,022 births
- 1940s 22,788
1940s
22,788 births
- 1950s 14,613
1950s
14,613 births
- 1960s 6,993
1960s
6,993 births
- 1970s 4,665
1970s
4,665 births
- 1980s 10,381
1980s
10,381 births
- 1990s 58,252
1990s
58,252 births
- 2000s
2000s
181,414 births
- 2010s
2010s
195,070 births
- 2020s
2020s
85,652 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 195,070 births (25% of all-time use).
How Emma 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 Emma's total volume
Emma vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Emma by state
Where Emma concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 62,949 | 8.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 59,614 | 7.7% |
| #3 | New York | | 38,545 | 5.0% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 34,715 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Florida | | 30,274 | 3.9% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 28,254 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 26,424 | 3.4% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 25,157 | 3.2% |
California share of Emma's total US births 8.1%
Even split
62,949 of 776,439 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Emma appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Emma? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 776,439 babies named Emma. Today it holds rank #2 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2003, with 22,719 births.
When was Emma most popular? ▼
Emma was most popular in the 2010s decade with 195,070 total births. The single peak year was 2003.
Where is Emma most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Emma are California (62,949 births), Texas (59,614 births), New York (38,545 births).
How long has the name Emma been used? ▼
Emma has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Emma? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Emmy, Emmie, Emmalee, Emmalyn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Emma's data
- Emma's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (195,070 total births) through the 2020s (85,652) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Emmas (62,949 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Emma
Nearby Names Like Emma
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Emma
Emmy Girl
#453 12,963 births
Emmie Girl
#737 10,387 births
Emmalee Girl
#2783 9,008 births
Emmalyn Girl
#1125 8,847 births
Emmaline Girl
#1197 7,422 births
Compare Emma side by side: Emma vs Emmy Emma vs Emmie Emma vs Emmalee
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Emma
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. "Emma: #2 Girls' Name - 776,439 Births, Peak 2003." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/emma. 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 Emma 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.