Emeli
A feminine name with uncertain meaning, possibly derived from the Latin word "aemulus" meaning "rivaling".
Name Census estimates that about 1,366 living Americans carry the first name Emeli. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Emeli today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Emeli births was 2005 (91 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Emeli. 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.
Key insights
- • Emeli is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 18 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 250,918 Americans
Peak year
2005
91 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,831
Tracked since 1986
Popularity
Emeli: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Emeli from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 651 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Emeli 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 Emeli during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Emelis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Emeli, while Georgia, New Jersey, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 67 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Emeli
The name Emeli is of Scottish origin, derived from the Gaelic name Emilidh, which is a form of the Germanic name Amalrich or Aemilius. The name Amalrich is composed of the Germanic elements "amal," meaning "work, labor," and "ric," meaning "power, rule."
In the 9th century, the name Amalrich was borne by a Frankish deacon and grammarian who wrote a work on liturgical practices. This early reference suggests that the name had some currency in medieval Europe.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Emeli is from the late 16th century, when the Scottish poet and writer Elizabeth Melville (1578-1631) was also known as Emilia or Emeli. She was a prominent figure in the Scottish Renaissance and a member of the literary circle around King James VI of Scotland.
Another notable bearer of the name was Emeli de Freine (c. 1200-1265), a French noblewoman and heiress who inherited significant lands and titles in what is now Belgium. She played a role in the political struggles of the time and was captured during a conflict with the Count of Flanders.
In the 18th century, Emeli Lindgren (1722-1797) was a Swedish botanist and one of the first female students at the University of Uppsala. She made contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and is considered a pioneer among female scientists in Sweden.
More recently, the Scottish singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé (born 1987) has brought renewed prominence to the name. Her debut album, "Our Version of Events," was a major commercial success and won numerous awards, including two Brit Awards in 2013.
Another modern bearer of the name is Emeli Paul (born 1984), a British model and actress of Indian descent, known for her roles in various TV series and films.
People
Emeli + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Emeli 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
Emeli: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Emeli?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,366 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Emeli 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 250,918 US residents.
Is Emeli a common name?
We classify Emeli as "Rare". It ranks above 91.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,385 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Emeli most popular?
The single biggest year for Emeli was 2005, when 91 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Emeli is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Emeli a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Emeli 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.
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.