Emmons
A name likely derived from Middle English "emmening" meaning "industrious" or "hard-working".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Emmons. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Emmons today is around 92 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Emmons births was 1919 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Emmons. 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
- • The typical person named Emmons is about 92 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Emmons' were born before 1944.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Emmons. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1919
11 babies that year
Average age
92
years old
1944 SSA rank
#3,581
Tracked since 1894
Popularity
Emmons: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Emmons from the 1890s through to the 1940s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 55 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Emmons 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 Emmons 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 Emmons
The given name Emmons has its origins in the English language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "em" meaning "flat" and "mund" meaning "protector" or "guardian." Therefore, the name Emmons likely referred to someone who lived on or was associated with a flat or level area of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Emmons dates back to the 13th century. In 1273, a man named Emmons de Playn is mentioned in the records of the English county of Suffolk. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time.
In the 14th century, the name appears in the form of "Emmonds" in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, England. This indicates that the spelling of the name had slightly evolved by then.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who carried the name Emmons. One of the most famous was Nathanael Emmons (1745-1840), an American Congregationalist minister and philosopher who played a significant role in the development of Calvinistic theology in New England.
Another noteworthy Emmons was Ebenezer Emmons (1799-1863), an American geologist and mineralogist who served as the State Geologist of North Carolina and made significant contributions to the study of geology in the United States.
In the field of literature, Ebenezer Emmons Jr. (1858-1937) was an American novelist and short story writer known for his works set in the rural New England region.
A prominent figure in the field of medicine was Samuel Franklin Emmons (1841-1911), an American physician and surgeon who served as the President of the American Medical Association from 1899 to 1900.
Finally, Robert Emmons (born 1952) is a contemporary American psychologist and researcher known for his work on gratitude and its impact on well-being and mental health.
Overall, the name Emmons has a rich history dating back to the Middle Ages in England, with various spellings and notable individuals bearing this name throughout the centuries.
People
Emmons + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Emmons 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
Emmons: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Emmons?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Emmons 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Emmons a common name?
We classify Emmons as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 117 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Emmons most popular?
The single biggest year for Emmons was 1919, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Emmons is about 92 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 Emmons in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Emmons a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Emmons in the SSA data are male. 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 Emmons still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Emmons 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 Emmons 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 share the name Emmons?
Find out how many people have the name Emmons on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.