Emerleigh
A feminine name of English origin meaning "brave and hard-working".
Name Census estimates that about 91 living Americans carry the first name Emerleigh. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Emerleigh today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Emerleigh births was 2021 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Emerleigh. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Emerleigh. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
91
~ 1 in 3,766,531 Americans
Peak year
2021
18 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,325
Tracked since 2015
Popularity
Emerleigh: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Emerleigh from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 64 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Emerleigh 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 Emerleigh 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 Emerleigh
The name Emerleigh is a relatively modern invention, likely originating in the late 20th or early 21st century as a combination of the names Emily and Leigh. It does not have a definitive origin from a particular language or culture, but rather seems to be a creative blend of traditional English and French names.
While the name Emily has roots tracing back to the Latin name Aemilia, which was derived from the Roman family name Aemilius, the addition of "leigh" is a nod to the French name Leigh or Leah, which has Hebrew origins meaning "weary" or "tired." The combination of these elements results in a unique and melodic name that carries a sense of femininity and elegance.
There are no known historical references or records of individuals bearing the name Emerleigh prior to its modern inception. However, its component names, Emily and Leigh, have been in use for centuries and have been borne by various notable figures throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Emily can be found in the works of the English poet and dramatist Ben Jonson, who included a character named Emily in his play The Poetaster, which was first performed in 1601. The name Leigh, on the other hand, has been used as a given name since the Middle Ages, with one of the earliest known bearers being Leigh de Arderne, a 14th-century English landowner and military commander.
While there are no famous historical figures specifically named Emerleigh, here are five notable individuals who have borne the names Emily or Leigh:
1. Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), an American poet renowned for her unique style and profound insights into the human condition.
2. Leigh Hunt (1784-1859), an English essayist, poet, and critic who was a central figure in the Romantic movement.
3. Emily Brontë (1818-1848), the English novelist and poet best known for her masterpiece Wuthering Heights.
4. Leigh Brackett (1915-1978), an American writer and screenwriter who made significant contributions to the science fiction genre.
5. Emily Carr (1871-1945), a Canadian artist and writer known for her vivid depictions of the Indigenous cultures and landscapes of the Pacific Northwest.
The name Emerleigh, while a modern creation, carries a rich tapestry of influences from various linguistic and cultural traditions. Its combination of elements from English and French names lends it a unique charm and distinctiveness, making it a popular choice for parents seeking a fresh and melodic name for their daughters.
People
Emerleigh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Emerleigh 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
Emerleigh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Emerleigh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 91 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Emerleigh 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 3,766,531 US residents.
Is Emerleigh a common name?
We classify Emerleigh as "Very Rare". It ranks above 63.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 92 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Emerleigh most popular?
The single biggest year for Emerleigh was 2021, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Emerleigh is about 5 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 Emerleigh in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Emerleigh a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Emerleigh 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 Emerleigh still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Emerleigh 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 Emerleigh 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 Americans are named Emerleigh?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.