Emlynn
A feminine name derived from the Old English elements " æmyll" and "lind," meaning "laborer" and "tender."
Name Census estimates that about 56 living Americans carry the first name Emlynn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Emlynn today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Emlynn births was 2019 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Emlynn. 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 Emlynn. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
56
~ 1 in 6,120,613 Americans
Peak year
2019
10 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2022 SSA rank
#16,018
Tracked since 2011
Popularity
Emlynn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Emlynn from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 37 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Emlynn remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Emlynn 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 Emlynn 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 Emlynn
The name Emlynn has its origins in the ancient Celtic cultures of the British Isles. It is believed to be derived from the Old Welsh word "emlyn" which means "elm tree." The earliest known reference to this name can be traced back to the 6th century AD, where it was used by the Welsh people living in what is now the modern-day country of Wales.
During the Middle Ages, the name Emlynn was relatively common among the nobility and ruling classes of Wales and parts of England. It was often given to both male and female children, reflecting the gender-neutral nature of many Celtic names. One notable historical figure who bore this name was Emlynn ap Gwilym, a Welsh prince who lived in the 12th century and fought against the Norman invaders.
In the 13th century, the name Emlynn appeared in the epic Welsh poem "The Mabinogion," which recounts the legends and myths of the ancient Britons. This literary reference helped to popularize the name and cement its place in Welsh cultural heritage.
Over the centuries, the name Emlynn has been spelled in various ways, including Emlyn, Emlynn, and Emelyne. Some notable individuals who carried this name include:
1. Emlynn Hooson (1925-2003), a Welsh politician and barrister who served as a Member of Parliament for the Liberal Party.
2. Emlynn Thomas (1939-2018), a Welsh actor and writer best known for his roles in television shows like "Grange Hill" and "Casualty."
3. Emlynn Hughes (1947-2004), an English professional football player and manager, who captained the Liverpool Football Club during their successful period in the 1970s.
4. Emlynn Griffith (born 1970), a Welsh singer and songwriter who has released several albums in the Welsh language.
5. Emlynn Kosut (born 1977), an American sociologist and author who has written extensively on the topics of gender, culture, and body politics.
While the name Emlynn has its roots in the Celtic cultures of Britain, it has since spread and gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly in North America and Australia. However, its usage remains relatively rare compared to more common names, adding to its distinctive and historical character.
People
Emlynn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Emlynn 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
Emlynn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Emlynn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 56 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Emlynn 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 6,120,613 US residents.
Is Emlynn a common name?
We classify Emlynn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 56% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 56 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Emlynn most popular?
The single biggest year for Emlynn was 2019, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Emlynn 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 Emlynn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Emlynn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Emlynn 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 Emlynn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Emlynn 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 Emlynn 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 common is the name Emlynn?
See how many Americans are named Emlynn on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.