Emberlin
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly meaning "shining ember".
Name Census estimates that about 129 living Americans carry the first name Emberlin. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Emberlin today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Emberlin births was 2015 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Emberlin. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
129
~ 1 in 2,657,010 Americans
Peak year
2015
11 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,489
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Emberlin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Emberlin from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 73 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Emberlin remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Emberlin by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Emberlin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Emberlin
The name Emberlin is believed to have originated from a combination of the Old English words "æmeri" meaning "ember" and "lin" meaning "flax" or "linen". This suggests that the name may have been derived from a place name or surname referring to someone who lived near an ember-colored field of flax or linen crops.
The earliest recorded use of the name Emberlin dates back to the 12th century in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of a survey of landholdings and resources in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. It lists an Emberlin de Wealdham, who was a landholder in the county of Surrey.
In the 13th century, an Emberlin is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, which were records of financial transactions and tax payments made to the crown. This Emberlin was likely a person of some means or status to be recorded in such official documents.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Emberlin was a Benedictine monk named Emberlin of Selby, who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. He was a chronicler and historian at the Abbey of Selby in Yorkshire, and his writings provide valuable insights into the social and political climate of that era.
Another notable Emberlin was Emberlin de Vaux, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He is mentioned in several contemporary chronicles for his bravery and military exploits in battles against the French.
In the 15th century, an Emberlin Woodville was a courtier and lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth Woodville, the Queen consort of King Edward IV of England. She is recorded in royal household accounts and was likely a member of the influential Woodville family.
While not a common name, Emberlin has persisted throughout history, with various bearers appearing in records and historical accounts over the centuries. Its unique combination of Old English elements and connection to the natural world have contributed to its enduring appeal and legacy.
People
Emberlin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Emberlin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Emberlin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Emberlin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 129 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Emberlin going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,657,010 US residents.
Is Emberlin a common name?
We classify Emberlin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 130 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Emberlin most popular?
The single biggest year for Emberlin was 2015, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Emberlin is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Emberlin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Emberlin a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Emberlin in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Emberlin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Emberlin in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Emberlin can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Emberlin as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.