Emily

Primarily a girl's name · 100% girls

Meaning

Emily is a feminine given name derived from the Roman family name "Aemilius", and is the feminine form of the name Emil.

From Wikipedia

Emily first appears in the data in 1976 and has been recorded in 50 different years as a girl's name. Its single biggest year was 2016 with 2,341 babies (rank #4 that year). In 2025 it was given to 289 girls (rank #61). The name has been declining over the last five years.

Numerology of Emily

In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Emily yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.

1Destiny numberThe leaderIndependent, pioneering, drawn to going first.Sum of every letter. The overall character a name carries.
3Soul urgeThe creativeExpressive, sociable, lifted by playful energy.Sum of the vowels — what's said to drive the heart.
7PersonalityThe seekerIntrospective, analytical, drawn to the unknown.Sum of the consonants — the outer impression.

35,174

Total babies (all years)

Years in the data

2,341

Peak in a single year

Popularity Over Time — Girls

Also a character in

In Gilmore Girls: Emily Gilmore — the formidable grandmother

Famous people named Emily

Emily Dickinsonlibrettist · b. 1830
Emily Brontëlibrettist · b. 1818
Emily Bluntfilm actor · b. 1983
Emily Greene Balchpeace activist · b. 1867
Emily Watsonfilm actor · b. 1967

Stories about the name Emily

Emily Dickinson. Emily Brontë. Emily Blunt. The name has range. I was thirty-two and pregnant and making lists of women I admired and Emily kept appearing.

— Sarah, Portland ME, 2016

Classic, clean, zero drama. I wanted a name she'd never have to explain or defend. Emily is a name that just lets you be a person.

— Andrew, Columbus OH, 2018

Share your Emily story

Why did you choose this name — or what does it mean to you? Approved stories appear on this page.

More popular girls' names

Names ranked near Emily in 2025

Other girls' names starting with E

Year-by-Year Detail

Rank is among all girls' names registered that year.

Year	Babies	Rank
1976	44	#109
1977	95	#90
1978	131	#84
1979	160	#75
1980	184	#62
1981	241	#46
1982	269	#42
1983	315	#35
1984	342	#32
1985	356	#32
1986	393	#24
1987	424	#22
1988	543	#16
1989	634	#12
1990	759	#8
1991	922	#6
1992	1,021	#5
1993	1,177	#3
1994	1,091	#3
1995	1,185	#2
1996	1,171	#2
1997	1,151	#2
1998	1,240	#1
1999	1,270	#1
2000	1,146	#2
2001	1,146	#1
2002	1,098	#1
2003	1,110	#1
2004	1,024	#1
2005	970	#1
2006	564	#3
2007	571	#3
2008	562	#5
2009	509	#6
2010	480	#8
2011	473	#10
2012	547	#3
2013	503	#6
2014	549	#6
2015	2,229	#6
2016	2,341	#4
2017	613	#13
2018	568	#12
2019	869	#21
2020	569	#26
2021	341	#39
2022	307	#43
2023	370	#52
2024	308	#59
2025	289	#61