Emiko
A feminine Japanese name meaning "blessed, beautiful child".
Name Census estimates that about 1,351 living Americans carry the first name Emiko. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Emiko today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Emiko births was 2022 (64 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Emiko. 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
1.4K
~ 1 in 253,704 Americans
Peak year
2022
64 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2010 SSA rank
#2,852
Tracked since 1916
Gender
Gender distribution for Emiko
Out of the 1,794 babies given the name Emiko since 1880, 99.7% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Emiko as a male name
- Ranked #12,835 in 2010
- 5 male births in 2010
- Peak: 2010 (5 births)
Emiko as a female name
- Ranked #2,852 in 2024
- 58 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (64 births)
Popularity
Emiko: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Emiko from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 419 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Emiko remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Emiko 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 Emiko during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Emikos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Hawaii, Texas recorded the most babies named Emiko, while Florida, Utah, Washington recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 139 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Emiko
The name Emiko is of Japanese origin, derived from the combination of the words "emi" meaning "blessed, beautiful" and "ko" meaning "child." It is a feminine given name that has been in use in Japan for centuries.
The earliest known record of the name Emiko dates back to the Heian period (794-1185 CE) in Japan, where it was used as a name for noble and aristocratic women. During this time, the name was often associated with classical Japanese literature and art.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name Emiko was Emiko no Kishi, a renowned Japanese poet and courtier who lived during the late 11th century. She was known for her contributions to the prestigious Goshuishu anthology of Japanese poetry.
In the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE), the name Emiko gained popularity among the samurai class. One notable figure from this era was Emiko Tokugawa, the daughter of the famous shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, who played a significant role in the unification of Japan under the Tokugawa Shogunate.
During the Edo period (1603-1867 CE), the name Emiko continued to be popular among the upper classes of Japanese society. One notable figure from this time was Emiko Sumitomo, the daughter of the founder of the Sumitomo business conglomerate, who was known for her philanthropic work and support of the arts.
In the modern era, the name Emiko has remained a popular choice for Japanese parents. One of the most famous figures with this name was Emiko Higuchi, a renowned Japanese author and poet who lived from 1904 to 1986. Her works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition, and she was widely regarded as one of the most influential literary figures of her time.
Another notable Emiko was Emiko Yamaguchi, a Japanese film actress who appeared in several classic Japanese films during the 1950s and 1960s. She was known for her beauty, talent, and versatility as an actress, and is considered a icon of Japanese cinema.
People
Emiko + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Emiko 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
Emiko: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Emiko?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,351 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Emiko 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 253,704 US residents.
Is Emiko a common name?
We classify Emiko 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, 1,794 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Emiko most popular?
The single biggest year for Emiko was 2022, when 64 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Emiko is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Emiko a female name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Emiko 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.