Emmy
A feminine diminutive of the Old English name Emmeline, meaning "industrious".
Name Census estimates that about 11,166 living Americans carry the first name Emmy. It sits at #453 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Emmy today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Emmy births was 2024 (690 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Emmy. 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
- • Emmy is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 16 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
11K
~ 1 in 30,696 Americans
Peak year
2024
690 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#453
Tracked since 1885
Popularity
Emmy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Emmy from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 4,540 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Emmy remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Emmy 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 Emmy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Emmys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 44 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Emmy, while South Dakota, Montana, Maine recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 199 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Emmy
The name Emmy originates from the German language and is a diminutive form of the name Emma. Emma itself is derived from the Germanic word "ermen," meaning "whole" or "universal." The name has been in use since at least the 8th century AD in various parts of Europe, particularly in Germany and the surrounding regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Emmy can be found in the 9th century Carolingian era, when a noblewoman named Emmy von Leiningen was mentioned in historical records. However, the name did not gain widespread popularity until the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Emmy is also considered a variant of the Hebrew name Imma, meaning "mother" or "nurturer." This connection to the concept of motherhood may have contributed to the name's appeal and widespread use in various cultures.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Emmy. One of the earliest was Emmy of Brittany (c. 1092-1137), who was the daughter of Duke Alan IV of Brittany and the wife of William IX, Duke of Aquitaine. Another prominent figure was Emmy von Leyen (c. 1215-1284), a German noblewoman and benefactor of the Teutonic Order.
In more recent times, the name Emmy has been associated with several accomplished women, such as Emmy Noether (1882-1935), a renowned German mathematician who made groundbreaking contributions to abstract algebra and theoretical physics. Emmy Hennings (1885-1948) was a German poet, writer, and performer, known for her involvement in the Dadaist movement.
Another notable Emmy was Emmy Bemmelen (1920-2017), a Dutch actress and singer who had a prolific career spanning over seven decades. Emmy Verhey (1939-2012) was a Dutch violinist and conductor, recognized for her innovative approach to music education.
It is worth noting that the diminutive form Emmy has often been used as a nickname for individuals with the name Emma, adding to the popularity and recognition of the name in various cultures and time periods.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Emmy
People
Emmy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Emmy 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
Emmy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Emmy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11,166 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Emmy 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 30,696 US residents.
Is Emmy a common name?
We classify Emmy as "Uncommon". It ranks above 97.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12,264 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Emmy most popular?
The single biggest year for Emmy was 2024, when 690 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Emmy is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Emmy a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Emmy 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.