Emmiline
A feminine name of French origin meaning "hard worker" or "striving".
Name Census estimates that about 58 living Americans carry the first name Emmiline. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Emmiline today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Emmiline births was 2018 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Emmiline. 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 Emmiline. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
58
~ 1 in 5,909,558 Americans
Peak year
2018
10 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,951
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Emmiline: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Emmiline from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 31 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Emmiline remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Emmiline 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 Emmiline 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 Emmiline
The name Emmiline has its origins in the Germanic languages, derived from the elements "ermen" meaning "whole" or "universal" and "lind" meaning "soft" or "tender". It emerged during the medieval period, initially spelled as Ermelind or Ermelinda.
In the early days, the name was predominantly found in regions of present-day Germany, the Netherlands, and parts of France. Variations such as Ermeline, Ermelyne, and Emelinne were also common in those areas during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Emmiline can be traced back to the 8th century, when an Ermelinda was mentioned in the Vita Sancti Bonifatii, a biography of the Apostle to the Germans, St. Boniface.
In the 11th century, Emmiline appeared in the Flores Historiarum, a chronicle of English history, referring to a nun named Ermelina who lived in the kingdom of Mercia.
As the name spread across Europe, it gained popularity among the noble classes. Emmiline de Longchamps, a 13th-century French noblewoman, was a prominent figure during the reign of King Louis IX.
In the 14th century, Emmiline de Villiers was a renowned poet and writer in the court of King Edward III of England. Her collection of romantic verses, "Les Amours d'Emmiline," was widely acclaimed during her lifetime.
Another notable bearer of the name was Emmiline von Anhalt, a German princess and abbess who lived in the 16th century. She played a significant role in the Reformation movement and corresponded extensively with Martin Luther.
Moving into the 17th century, Emmiline Leconte was a French actress and playwright who graced the stages of Paris with her talent and wit. Her plays, often satirical in nature, gained her both acclaim and controversy.
As the name continued to evolve, variations like Emmeline and Emmaline became more common, particularly in the English-speaking world. However, the original form, Emmiline, remained a cherished choice among those with a connection to its rich historical roots.
People
Emmiline + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Emmiline 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
Emmiline: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Emmiline?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 58 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Emmiline 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 5,909,558 US residents.
Is Emmiline a common name?
We classify Emmiline as "Very Rare". It ranks above 56.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 58 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Emmiline most popular?
The single biggest year for Emmiline was 2018, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Emmiline is about 10 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 Emmiline in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Emmiline a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Emmiline 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 Emmiline still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Emmiline 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 Emmiline 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 people have the name Emmiline?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.