Emily
Meaningrival, striving · Latin
- US rank
- #34
- Syllables
- 3
- Peak
- #1 in 2007
5,451 babies were named Emily in the US in 2025. It has dropped 16 places in five years.
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million girls, 1880–2025
Most popular states (2025)
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Emily you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Emily
Emily Dickinson
American poet (1830-1886)
Choose Emily and your child shares a first name with Emily Dickinson, an American poet. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Emily, like who?” Emily Dickinson's Wikipedia article is available in 147 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Emily Dickinson on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 295 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Emily, 5,451 babies in all. In a school of 500 kids, there'd probably be one other Emily.
- HistoryEmily has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Emilys, and counting.
- Best yearIt was far more popular in 2007, when it ranked #1. Today it's #34, so it could be due a comeback.
- Then vs nowEmily was 4.2× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 70 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 295.
- Where it's lovedEmily is most popular in California, where it ranks #16, followed by Florida (#18) and New Jersey (#18). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
- MeaningIn Latin, Emily means “rival, striving”.
About the name Emily
Emily is a girl name of Latin origin meaning “rival, striving”. It has 5 letters and 3 syllables, starting with E and ending in “-ily”. US birth records list Emily for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 2007, when it ranked #1 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #34, with 5,451 babies.
Origin:Latin names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,576 | 388 girls |
| 1890s | 2,467 | 405 girls |
| 1900s | 2,196 | 455 girls |
| 1910s | 2,097 | 477 girls |
| 1920s | 1,565 | 639 girls |
| 1930s | 1,116 | 896 girls |
| 1940s | 940 | 1,064 girls |
| 1950s | 671 | 1,491 girls |
| 1960s | 683 | 1,463 girls |
| 1970s | 3,066 | 326 girls |
| 1980s | 7,641 | 131 girls |
| 1990s | 13,223 | 76 girls |
| 2000s | 12,142 | 82 girls |
| 2010s | 6,705 | 149 girls |
| 2020s | 3,866 | 259 girls |
More Latin girl names
- Girl name: Olivia · olive tree
- Girl name: Amelia · work, industrious
- Girl name: Mia · possibly beloved
- Girl name: Evelyn · possibly desired
- Girl name: Ava · possibly bird, or life
- Girl name: Violet · violet flower
- Girl name: Aurora · dawn
- Girl name: Lily · lily flower
Questions about the name Emily
What does the name Emily mean?
Emily means “rival, striving” in Latin.
What is the origin of the name Emily?
Emily has Latin roots in our records. Other Latin names include Olivia, Amelia, Mia.
Is Emily a boy or girl name?
Emily is a girl name, though a few boys get it too.
How popular is the name Emily?
Emily ranked #34 for US girls in 2025, given to 5,451 babies. Its best year was 2007 (#1).