Emma
Emma was given to 12,754 girls in 2025, #3 among girls’ names; 778,172 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 568,000 Americans named Emma and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (73% of everyone recorded); the median is 17 years old and half are between 10 and 24.
Emma is the #30 most common first name among living American women and girls, by this estimate.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Emma by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Emma mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Emma is “a female given name from the Germanic languages.” Its etymology gives the sense “entire” (Irmin-).
Brought to England by the Normans; short form of compound given names beginning with a Frankish prototheme Ermin- or Irmin- “entire”, from Proto-Germanic *ermunaz.
/ˈɛmə/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Emma?
#3 among girls’ names, 2025
Emma fell from #1 in 2015 to #3 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 11.5 to 7.9 per 1,000.
22,756 babies in 2003, the peak
Emma peaked in 2003, when 22,756 babies were given it (22,719 girls, #2 among girls’ names). The 12,768 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 56% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12,754 | #3 | 7.9 |
| 2024 | 13,524 | #2 | 8.3 |
| 2023 | 13,590 | #2 | 8.5 |
| 2022 | 14,512 | #2 | 8.8 |
| 2021 | 15,549 | #2 | 9.5 |
| 2020 | 15,723 | #2 | 9.7 |
| 2019 | 17,226 | #2 | 10.3 |
| 2018 | 18,824 | #1 | 11.1 |
| 2017 | 19,873 | #1 | 11.5 |
| 2016 | 19,550 | #1 | 11.0 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 20,487 | #1 | 11.5 |
| 2014 | 20,970 | #1 | 11.7 |
| 2013 | 20,973 | #2 | 12.0 |
| 2012 | 20,976 | #2 | 11.9 |
| 2011 | 18,825 | #3 | 10.7 |
| 2010 | 17,366 | #3 | 9.8 |
| 2009 | 17,910 | #2 | 9.7 |
| 2008 | 18,830 | #1 | 10.0 |
| 2007 | 18,390 | #3 | 9.6 |
| 2006 | 19,133 | #2 | 10.1 |
| 2005 | 20,362 | #2 | 11.0 |
| 2004 | 21,625 | #2 | 11.8 |
| 2003 | 22,719 | #2 | 12.4 |
| 2002 | 16,558 | #4 | 9.2 |
| 2001 | 13,327 | #13 | 7.4 |
| 2000 | 12,560 | #17 | 6.9 |
| 1999 | 11,751 | #17 | 6.6 |
| 1998 | 10,451 | #22 | 5.9 |
| 1997 | 7,749 | #36 | 4.5 |
| 1996 | 6,151 | #53 | 3.5 |
| 1995 | 5,050 | #67 | 2.9 |
| 1994 | 4,765 | #74 | 2.7 |
| 1993 | 4,108 | #80 | 2.3 |
| 1992 | 3,212 | #104 | 1.7 |
| 1991 | 2,595 | #123 | 1.4 |
| 1990 | 2,420 | #130 | 1.3 |
| 1989 | 1,938 | #149 | 1.1 |
| 1988 | 1,795 | #160 | 1.0 |
| 1987 | 1,589 | #175 | 0.91 |
| 1986 | 1,259 | #209 | 0.73 |
| 1985 | 947 | #263 | 0.55 |
| 1984 | 678 | #341 | 0.40 |
| 1983 | 551 | #399 | 0.33 |
| 1982 | 560 | #410 | 0.33 |
| 1981 | 534 | #413 | 0.32 |
| 1980 | 530 | #417 | 0.32 |
| 1979 | 488 | #428 | 0.30 |
| 1978 | 442 | #450 | 0.29 |
| 1977 | 479 | #423 | 0.31 |
| 1976 | 414 | #463 | 0.28 |
| 1975 | 477 | #422 | 0.33 |
| 1974 | 490 | #408 | 0.33 |
| 1973 | 419 | #447 | 0.29 |
| 1972 | 453 | #428 | 0.30 |
| 1971 | 474 | #442 | 0.28 |
| 1970 | 529 | #421 | 0.30 |
| 1969 | 516 | #426 | 0.31 |
| 1968 | 494 | #426 | 0.30 |
| 1967 | 564 | #385 | 0.34 |
| 1966 | 619 | #364 | 0.37 |
| 1965 | 640 | #359 | 0.36 |
| 1964 | 770 | #343 | 0.41 |
| 1963 | 724 | #352 | 0.38 |
| 1962 | 798 | #332 | 0.41 |
| 1961 | 892 | #307 | 0.44 |
| 1960 | 976 | #297 | 0.48 |
| 1959 | 1,056 | #270 | 0.52 |
| 1958 | 1,084 | #266 | 0.54 |
| 1957 | 1,217 | #243 | 0.60 |
| 1956 | 1,340 | #226 | 0.67 |
| 1955 | 1,460 | #211 | 0.75 |
| 1954 | 1,530 | #202 | 0.79 |
| 1953 | 1,590 | #195 | 0.85 |
| 1952 | 1,709 | #180 | 0.92 |
| 1951 | 1,731 | #174 | 1.0 |
| 1950 | 1,896 | #154 | 1.1 |
| 1949 | 1,999 | #147 | 1.2 |
| 1948 | 2,099 | #138 | 1.2 |
| 1947 | 2,141 | #141 | 1.2 |
| 1946 | 2,070 | #131 | 1.3 |
| 1945 | 2,052 | #123 | 1.6 |
| 1944 | 2,247 | #118 | 1.7 |
| 1943 | 2,422 | #114 | 1.7 |
| 1942 | 2,606 | #108 | 1.9 |
| 1941 | 2,546 | #99 | 2.1 |
| 1940 | 2,606 | #94 | 2.3 |
| 1939 | 2,685 | #89 | 2.4 |
| 1938 | 2,670 | #96 | 2.4 |
| 1937 | 2,750 | #89 | 2.6 |
| 1936 | 2,831 | #85 | 2.7 |
| 1935 | 2,802 | #89 | 2.7 |
| 1934 | 2,940 | #85 | 2.8 |
| 1933 | 3,152 | #75 | 3.1 |
| 1932 | 3,330 | #76 | 3.1 |
| 1931 | 3,307 | #76 | 3.1 |
| 1930 | 3,555 | #73 | 3.2 |
| 1929 | 3,803 | #69 | 3.4 |
| 1928 | 4,017 | #67 | 3.5 |
| 1927 | 4,327 | #64 | 3.6 |
| 1926 | 4,480 | #59 | 3.8 |
| 1925 | 4,714 | #57 | 3.9 |
| 1924 | 4,897 | #57 | 3.9 |
| 1923 | 4,977 | #53 | 4.1 |
| 1922 | 5,013 | #50 | 4.2 |
| 1921 | 5,072 | #52 | 4.1 |
| 1920 | 5,238 | #46 | 4.4 |
| 1919 | 5,087 | #45 | 4.5 |
| 1918 | 5,324 | #46 | 4.6 |
| 1917 | 5,121 | #46 | 4.7 |
| 1916 | 5,217 | #41 | 5.0 |
| 1915 | 5,044 | #40 | 5.1 |
| 1914 | 3,972 | #39 | 5.2 |
| 1913 | 3,474 | #38 | 5.6 |
| 1912 | 3,357 | #35 | 6.0 |
| 1911 | 2,616 | #35 | 6.3 |
| 1910 | 2,607 | #34 | 6.6 |
| 1909 | 2,338 | #34 | 6.7 |
| 1908 | 2,357 | #30 | 7.1 |
| 1907 | 2,356 | #27 | 7.4 |
| 1906 | 2,224 | #28 | 7.5 |
| 1905 | 2,298 | #26 | 7.9 |
| 1904 | 2,312 | #22 | 8.4 |
| 1903 | 2,308 | #23 | 8.8 |
| 1902 | 2,514 | #18 | 9.5 |
| 1901 | 2,374 | #17 | 9.9 |
| 1900 | 3,095 | #13 | 10.3 |
| 1899 | 2,445 | #13 | 10.5 |
| 1898 | 2,788 | #13 | 10.8 |
| 1897 | 2,698 | #10 | 11.5 |
| 1896 | 2,872 | #10 | 12.1 |
| 1895 | 2,952 | #10 | 12.6 |
| 1894 | 2,937 | #9 | 13.2 |
| 1893 | 2,968 | #9 | 13.9 |
| 1892 | 3,128 | #7 | 14.7 |
| 1891 | 2,884 | #5 | 15.5 |
| 1890 | 2,980 | #5 | 15.7 |
| 1889 | 2,884 | #5 | 16.2 |
| 1888 | 3,087 | #4 | 17.3 |
| 1887 | 2,647 | #4 | 18.1 |
| 1886 | 2,764 | #3 | 19.1 |
| 1885 | 2,728 | #3 | 20.5 |
| 1884 | 2,587 | #3 | 20.1 |
| 1883 | 2,367 | #3 | 21.1 |
| 1882 | 2,303 | #3 | 21.4 |
| 1881 | 2,034 | #3 | 22.1 |
| 1880 | 2,003 | #3 | 22.0 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Emma a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Emma has been given almost only to girls: 1,733 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Emma: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Emma, and how old are they?
568,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 73% of the 778,172 Americans ever recorded as Emma. The median Emma alive today is 17 years old; half are between 10 and 24.
The 2020 Census counted 498,221 people named Emma (497,435 women and girls, 786 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 502,285 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 14,000 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 20,400 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 7,450 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 37,400 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 266,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 222,000 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Emma born?
The states with the most babies named Emma are Texas, California and Florida, with 34% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 1,707 | #1 | 0.9× |
| California | 1,641 | #5 | 0.8× |
| Florida | 986 | #4 | 0.9× |
| New York | 774 | #1 | 0.8× |
| Illinois | 458 | #4 | 0.8× |
| New Jersey | 428 | #1 | 0.8× |
| Pennsylvania | 427 | #5 | 1.0× |
| Georgia | 397 | #4 | 1.1× |
| North Carolina | 391 | #5 | 1.1× |
| Ohio | 362 | #7 | 1.0× |
Where Emma is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Emma is most over-represented in Mississippi: since 1910 it was given 1.4 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Emma with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 818,184 babies since 1880, Emma is the most given (95% of them). In 2025 it was given to 12,768 of their 14,604 babies (87%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Emma
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Emma and names like it
- Compare Emma and EmmyBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2000sEmma peaked in 2003.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Emma since 1910.
- Germanic namesWiktionary’s origin for Emma: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2003The year the most babies were named Emma.
- The names of Generation ZMost people named Emma alive today were born 1997-2012.
- Names starting with EMost given first.