Emma
A short form of Germanic names in ermen “whole, universal,” which stood alone by the Middle Ages.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Jane Austen's heroine; its modern surge got a famous push when Ross and Rachel named their baby Emma on Friends in 2002.
Emma appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in 95 different years between 1880 and 2025. It has been the single most popular name for American girls in 6 different years, first in 2008 and most recently in 2018. Its biggest year was 2003, when 22,719 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 2 nationally. Its best ranking came in 2008, at No. 1. In 2025 it ranked No. 3 for girls. All told, 778,172 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Ema (4,857), Emmah (956) (total births since 1880)
Explore Emma interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 25,404 | No. 3 |
| 1890s | 28,652 | No. 5 |
| 1900s | 24,176 | No. 13 |
| 1910s | 41,819 | No. 34 |
| 1920s | 46,538 | No. 46 |
| 1930s | 30,022 | No. 73 |
| 1940s | 22,788 | No. 94 |
| 1950s | 14,613 | No. 154 |
| 1960s | 6,993 | No. 297 |
| 1970s | 4,665 | No. 408 |
| 1980s | 10,381 | No. 149 |
| 1990s | 58,252 | No. 17 |
| 2000s | 181,414 | No. 1 |
| 2010s | 195,070 | No. 1 |
| 2020s | 85,652 | No. 2 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.