Emma Name Meaning
A name gifted to queens and saints, Emma has a long history of use among the royal and powerful. Despite it all, she remains soft and sweet, the perfect choice for a precious baby girl.
Emma has always been a favorite among parents though she did see a dip in popularity from the 1940s to the 1990s before resurging again in the 2000s. She’s dominated birth announcements ever since, beloved for her easy spelling and pronunciation.
Emma ages gracefully, fitting in effortlessly in the schoolyard and boardroom alike. Along the way the name offers up nicknames for every age group from the cutesy Emmy to the mature Em. She’s the shortened sister of Emily and Emilia, providing the vintage charm parents love with the modern appeal they can’t resist.
Possibly the most famous literary character named Emma is the main character of Jane Austen’s novel Emma, a rich and independent woman who likes to meddle in the affairs of others. She and her friends eventually find love as the character learns and grows from her initial somewhat-selfish state.
Variants of the name include Emmeline and her contemporary counterpart Emmalyn. Similar names like Ella, Anna, and Lucy provide the same dainty dose of femininity.
Infographic of Emma name meaning, which is Emma is a shortened form of Erma or Emmaline, meaning universal or whole.
Ask your friends & family about Emma…
Emma Name Popularity
How popular is the name Emma? Here’s everything we know.
Year |
Rank |
# Births |
% Births |
1910 |
34 |
2,591 |
0.7359% |
1911 |
35 |
2,599 |
0.6979% |
1912 |
35 |
3,350 |
0.6643% |
1913 |
38 |
3,472 |
0.6124% |
1914 |
39 |
3,960 |
0.5682% |
1915 |
40 |
5,044 |
0.5552% |
1916 |
41 |
5,212 |
0.5396% |
1917 |
46 |
5,117 |
0.5115% |
1918 |
46 |
5,320 |
0.4957% |
1919 |
45 |
5,080 |
0.4851% |
1920 |
46 |
5,231 |
0.4705% |
1921 |
52 |
5,071 |
0.4429% |
1922 |
50 |
5,013 |
0.45% |
1923 |
53 |
4,966 |
0.4434% |
1924 |
57 |
4,896 |
0.4216% |
1925 |
57 |
4,702 |
0.416% |
1926 |
59 |
4,476 |
0.407% |
1927 |
65 |
4,321 |
0.3904% |
1928 |
67 |
4,007 |
0.3745% |
1929 |
69 |
3,789 |
0.3658% |
1930 |
73 |
3,545 |
0.3394% |
1931 |
76 |
3,299 |
0.3343% |
1932 |
76 |
3,312 |
0.3352% |
1933 |
76 |
3,138 |
0.3368% |
1934 |
85 |
2,925 |
0.3026% |
1935 |
89 |
2,784 |
0.2865% |
1936 |
85 |
2,819 |
0.2926% |
1937 |
90 |
2,729 |
0.2769% |
1938 |
98 |
2,638 |
0.2577% |
1939 |
89 |
2,663 |
0.2618% |
1940 |
94 |
2,585 |
0.2432% |
1941 |
100 |
2,518 |
0.2237% |
1942 |
108 |
2,565 |
0.2031% |
1943 |
115 |
2,390 |
0.1831% |
1944 |
119 |
2,218 |
0.179% |
1945 |
123 |
2,017 |
0.1654% |
1946 |
132 |
2,041 |
0.1383% |
1947 |
141 |
2,120 |
0.127% |
1948 |
140 |
2,072 |
0.1298% |
1949 |
147 |
1,961 |
0.1219% |
1950 |
155 |
1,860 |
0.1155% |
1951 |
174 |
1,704 |
0.1005% |
1952 |
181 |
1,669 |
0.0956% |
1953 |
196 |
1,564 |
0.0884% |
1954 |
202 |
1,489 |
0.0815% |
1955 |
212 |
1,426 |
0.0775% |
1956 |
228 |
1,297 |
0.0687% |
1957 |
248 |
1,168 |
0.0607% |
1958 |
267 |
1,045 |
0.0553% |
1959 |
271 |
1,028 |
0.0541% |
1960 |
298 |
937 |
0.0495% |
1961 |
310 |
852 |
0.0451% |
1962 |
330 |
756 |
0.0412% |
1963 |
352 |
683 |
0.038% |
1964 |
341 |
737 |
0.0419% |
1965 |
361 |
595 |
0.0364% |
1966 |
365 |
576 |
0.0369% |
1967 |
386 |
525 |
0.0346% |
1968 |
428 |
449 |
0.0299% |
1969 |
426 |
475 |
0.0308% |
1970 |
419 |
487 |
0.0306% |
1971 |
447 |
423 |
0.0281% |
1972 |
419 |
422 |
0.031% |
1973 |
450 |
372 |
0.0287% |
1974 |
407 |
454 |
0.0349% |
1975 |
425 |
427 |
0.0332% |
1976 |
456 |
377 |
0.0293% |
1977 |
435 |
424 |
0.0315% |
1978 |
442 |
404 |
0.03% |
1979 |
431 |
441 |
0.0313% |
1980 |
419 |
481 |
0.0329% |
1981 |
408 |
505 |
0.0344% |
1982 |
414 |
518 |
0.0347% |
1983 |
399 |
511 |
0.0346% |
1984 |
339 |
644 |
0.0433% |
1985 |
265 |
916 |
0.0603% |
1986 |
208 |
1,246 |
0.0825% |
1987 |
175 |
1,582 |
0.1037% |
1988 |
160 |
1,771 |
0.1136% |
1989 |
149 |
1,928 |
0.1195% |
1990 |
129 |
2,407 |
0.1452% |
1991 |
123 |
2,584 |
0.1585% |
1992 |
104 |
3,209 |
0.201% |
1993 |
80 |
4,102 |
0.2631% |
1994 |
74 |
4,763 |
0.3104% |
1995 |
67 |
5,044 |
0.3347% |
1996 |
53 |
6,143 |
0.4103% |
1997 |
36 |
7,739 |
0.5233% |
1998 |
22 |
10,437 |
0.6973% |
1999 |
17 |
11,728 |
0.7831% |
2000 |
17 |
12,548 |
0.8214% |
2001 |
13 |
13,307 |
0.8832% |
2002 |
4 |
16,538 |
1.1036% |
2003 |
2 |
22,704 |
1.4924% |
2004 |
2 |
21,606 |
1.4176% |
2005 |
2 |
20,339 |
1.3303% |
2006 |
2 |
19,114 |
1.2207% |
2007 |
3 |
18,372 |
1.1644% |
2008 |
1 |
18,809 |
1.217% |
2009 |
2 |
17,892 |
1.1971% |
2010 |
3 |
17,338 |
1.2031% |
2011 |
3 |
18,797 |
1.3193% |
2012 |
2 |
20,934 |
1.469% |
2013 |
2 |
20,936 |
1.4705% |
2014 |
1 |
20,924 |
1.4361% |
2015 |
1 |
20,435 |
1.4044% |
2016 |
1 |
19,471 |
1.3504% |
2017 |
1 |
19,738 |
1.4142% |
2018 |
1 |
18,688 |
1.3602% |
2019 |
2 |
17,102 |
1.2633% |
2020 |
2 |
15,345 |
1.2056% |
2021 |
2 |
14,224 |
1.1636% |
2022 |
2 |
14,435 |
1.0942% |
District of Columbia (DC)
Data via SSA.gov.
Names Like Emma
If you like Emma, you’ll love these other names like Emma.
What names are diminutives of Emma?
A diminutive is a name that’s like Emma sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Emma, but shorter.
Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
Em
|
Industrious, striving; work; rival; laborious; eager; entire, universal; emerald
|
Spanish
|
|
|
Emmi
|
Rival; laborious; eager; entire, universal
|
Latin
|
|
|
Emmie
|
Industrious, striving; work; rival; laborious; eager; entire, universal; emerald
|
Spanish
|
|
|
Emmy
|
Rival
|
German
|
|
|
What names are variants of Emma?
Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Emma.
Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
Emalinda
|
Entire, universal
|
German
|
|
|
Emelina
|
Industrious, striving; work; rival; laborious; eager; entire, universal
|
Latin
|
|
|
Emeline
|
Peaceful home
|
German
|
|
|
Emelyne
|
Rival; laborious; eager; entire, universal
|
Latin
|
|
|
Emmalee
|
Peaceful home; rival; laborious; eager; entire, universal
|
Latin
|
|
|
Emmaline
|
Peaceful home; rival; laborious; eager; entire, universal
|
Latin
|
|
|
Emmalyn
|
Peaceful home; rival; laborious; eager; entire, universal
|
Latin
|
|
|
Emmalynn
|
Rival; laborious; eager; entire, universal
|
Latin
|
|
|
Emmalynne
|
Peaceful home; rival; laborious; eager; entire, universal
|
Latin
|
|
|
Emme
|
Entire, universal
|
German
|
|
|
What names sound like Emma?
If you like how Emma sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Emma.
Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
Alma
|
Nourishing, kind; soul; young woman; learned
|
Modern
|
|
|
Anna
|
Gracious
|
Hebrew
|
|
|
Ella
|
Other goddess
|
Hebrew
|
|
|
Emerald
|
Precious gemstone
|
Spanish
|
|
|
Emerson
|
Son of Emery
|
English
|
|
|
Emery
|
Home strength
|
German
|
|
|
Gemma
|
Precious stone
|
Italian
|
|
|
What names are similar to Emma?
Find a name that’s like Emma, but just a little bit different.
Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
Amelia
|
Work
|
German
|
|
|
Audrey
|
Noble strength
|
English
|
|
|
Ava
|
To live
|
Latin
|
|
|
Lists With Emma
Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Emma.
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-
Sicilian Girl Names With Old World Appeal // 113 names
Capture the beauty of the Mediterranean and so much more with Sicilian girl names. From common monikers to rare place names, we have them all on our list of Sicilian sweethearts.
-
Puerto Rican Girl Names With Island Allure // 208 names
Puerto Rican girl names are a wide mix of styles, including everything from modern creations to old-school treasures. Browse our list and learn more about these beauties.
-
Little Girl Names for Your Sweet Baby // 173 names
Little girl names embrace their youth with sweet sounds and even sweeter meanings. Browse our list of them and find the perfect fit for your little one.
Siblings of Emma
Mamas with kids named Emma also have kids with these names.
Name |
Meaning |
Origin |
Popularity |
Other Gender |
Raymond
|
Protector
|
English
|
|
|
Cathy
|
Pure
|
Greek
|
|
|
Coy
|
Son of Aodh
|
Irish
|
|
|
Henry
|
Home ruler
|
English
|
|
|
Robert
|
Bright fame
|
German
|
|
|
Caedmon
|
Poet
|
Anglo-Saxon
|
|
|
Easton
|
East town
|
English
|
|
|
Braydon
|
Descendant of Brad?
|
Irish
|
|
|