Emmalou
A feminine name combining Emma, meaning "whole" or "universal", with Lou, a diminutive form of Louise, meaning "renowned warrior".
Name Census estimates that about 179 living Americans carry the first name Emmalou. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Emmalou today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Emmalou births was 2014 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Emmalou. 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
179
~ 1 in 1,914,829 Americans
Peak year
2014
15 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#15,951
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Emmalou: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Emmalou from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 97 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Emmalou remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Emmalou 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 Emmalou 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 Emmalou
The given name Emmalou is a combination of two distinct names, Emma and Lou. Emma is a German name derived from the Old German word "ermen" meaning "whole" or "universal." Its origins can be traced back to the 9th century, and it was popularized in the Middle Ages as a Germanic given name.
Lou is a shortened form of the French name Louise, which itself is derived from the Germanic name Hlodwig or Chlodovechus. This name was borne by the Frankish king Clovis I, who reigned in the 5th-6th centuries and played a pivotal role in the spread of Christianity in ancient France.
The combination of Emma and Lou into Emmalou is a more recent creation, likely emerging in the 20th century as a unique blend of these two names. While there are no definitive historical records or ancient texts mentioning Emmalou specifically, it draws from the rich cultural heritage of both its component names.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Emmalou was Emmalou Norby, an American writer and actress born in 1944. She is best known for her work in children's literature and her contributions to the "Sweet Valley High" book series.
Another notable figure was Emmalou Kirchmeier (1931-2017), an American painter and artist known for her vibrant abstract expressionist works. Her paintings have been featured in numerous galleries and exhibitions throughout the United States.
In the field of music, Emmalou Dietz (born 1958) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who has released several albums and performed extensively across North America.
Emmalou Jacobson (1923-2012) was a Norwegian-born American actress and dancer who appeared in several Broadway productions and Hollywood films in the mid-20th century.
Lastly, Emmalou Norred (born 1951) is an American businesswoman and entrepreneur who co-founded the successful software company Norred & Associates in the 1980s.
These individuals, spanning various fields and time periods, provide a glimpse into the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments associated with the name Emmalou throughout history.
People
Emmalou + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Emmalou 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
Emmalou: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Emmalou?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 179 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Emmalou 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 1,914,829 US residents.
Is Emmalou a common name?
We classify Emmalou as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 269 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Emmalou most popular?
The single biggest year for Emmalou was 2014, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Emmalou is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Emmalou a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Emmalou 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.