Primarily a girl's name · 100% girls
Also spelled: Emma- (1)
Origin: GermanEmma is a feminine given name. It is derived from the Germanic word ermen, meaning "whole" or "universal". It likely originated as a short form of names such as Ermengarde or Ermentrude.
From Wikipedia
In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Emma yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.
Named for my grandmother Emma, who came to this country with nothing and built a life. She was the strongest person I've known. The name carries that for us.
— Judith, Minneapolis MN, 2015
I know it's everywhere right now. I named her Emma in 2014 when it wasn't in the top ten yet and now everyone thinks I followed a trend. Reader, I was ahead of the trend. I've learned to live with this.
— Becky, Columbus OH, 2014
Clean, complete, no ambiguity. Two syllables, two M's, sounds the same in every language I know. My daughter is half-Korean and half-Irish and Emma works in both kitchens, which was genuinely our primary criterion.
— Grace, Los Angeles CA, 2019
Why did you choose this name — or what does it mean to you? Approved stories appear on this page.
→ See names similar to Emma · Compare Emma with another name → · Popular names of the 1980s · Girls names starting with E
Rank is among all girls' names registered that year.
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 94 | #94 |
| 1970 | 139 | #88 |
| 1971 | 152 | #83 |
| 1972 | 180 | #75 |
| 1973 | 251 | #56 |
| 1974 | 297 | #48 |
| 1975 | 411 | #26 |
| 1976 | 484 | #14 |
| 1977 | 462 | #16 |
| 1978 | 525 | #15 |
| 1979 | 552 | #12 |
| 1980 | 596 | #12 |
| 1981 | 685 | #10 |
| 1982 | 694 | #8 |
| 1983 | 700 | #10 |
| 1984 | 645 | #13 |
| 1985 | 687 | #9 |
| 1986 | 787 | #8 |
| 1987 | 858 | #6 |
| 1988 | 1,264 | #3 |
| 1989 | 1,334 | #3 |
| 1990 | 1,209 | #3 |
| 1991 | 1,007 | #4 |
| 1992 | 864 | #6 |
| 1993 | 877 | #6 |
| 1994 | 822 | #5 |
| 1995 | 790 | #4 |
| 1996 | 840 | #4 |
| 1997 | 806 | #4 |
| 1998 | 816 | #5 |
| 1999 | 757 | #7 |
| 2000 | 715 | #7 |
| 2001 | 663 | #10 |
| 2002 | 568 | #12 |
| 2003 | 675 | #10 |
| 2004 | 662 | #9 |
| 2005 | 603 | #10 |
| 2006 | 311 | #18 |
| 2007 | 310 | #19 |
| 2008 | 297 | #20 |
| 2009 | 269 | #19 |
| 2010 | 296 | #16 |
| 2011 | 267 | #17 |
| 2012 | 324 | #17 |
| 2013 | 286 | #20 |
| 2014 | 329 | #21 |
| 2015 | 1,207 | #20 |
| 2016 | 1,258 | #17 |
| 2017 | 427 | #28 |
| 2018 | 361 | #33 |
| 2019 | 610 | #36 |
| 2020 | 415 | #42 |
| 2021 | 268 | #54 |
| 2022 | 231 | #63 |
| 2023 | 313 | #61 |
| 2024 | 207 | #83 |
| 2025 | 276 | #68 |
