NameCensus.
Rare

Emy

A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Emily.

Name Census estimates that about 1,331 living Americans carry the first name Emy. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Emy today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Emy births was 2024 (65 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Emy. 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

1.3K

~ 1 in 257,516 Americans

Peak year

2024

65 babies that year

Average age

22

years old

2024 SSA rank

#2,665

Tracked since 1916

Popularity

Emy: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Emy from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 370 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Emy remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.

Babies born per year

016334965192019401960198020002020

Decades

Emy 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 Emy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
1910s055
1920s02626
1930s01212
1940s03636
1950s01616
1960s05353
1970s09797
1980s0115115
1990s0131131
2000s0304304
2010s0370370
2020s0269269

Geography

Where Emys live

The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Emy, while Ohio, Illinois, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 45 registrations each.

Origin

Meaning and history of Emy

The name Emy has its roots in the German language, originating in the Middle Ages. It is a diminutive form of the name Emma, which itself derives from the Germanic word "ermen," meaning "whole" or "universal." In its earliest forms, the name was spelled as "Emme" or "Emmeken."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Emy can be found in the 13th-century German epic poem "Parzival" by Wolfram von Eschenbach. In this work, Emy is mentioned as a character, though little is known about her significance or background.

During the Renaissance period, the name Emy gained popularity among the nobility and upper classes in parts of Central Europe. One notable figure bearing this name was Emy von Frundsberg (1494-1528), a German noblewoman and landowner from the Swabian region.

In the 17th century, the name Emy appeared in religious texts and records. Emy Drachenfeld (1638-1703) was a German Pietist and author who wrote extensively on spiritual matters. Her works, including "Geistliche Sonnenschein" (Spiritual Sunshine), were widely read and influential in her time.

The 19th century saw the emergence of several notable individuals named Emy. Emy Taussig (1808-1873) was a German-American philanthropist and social reformer who actively supported the abolitionist movement in the United States. Another prominent figure was Emy Destinn (1878-1930), a renowned Czech operatic soprano who performed leading roles in operas by composers such as Wagner and Puccini.

More recently, in the 20th century, Emy Bleszynski (1911-1991) was a Polish-American artist and sculptor known for her abstract works and public art installations. Emy Coligado (1918-2009) was a Chilean writer and journalist who was actively involved in the country's literary scene and advocated for women's rights.

People

Emy + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Emy 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

Emy: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Emy?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,331 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Emy 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 257,516 US residents.

Is Emy a common name?

We classify Emy as "Rare". It ranks above 91.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,434 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Emy most popular?

The single biggest year for Emy was 2024, when 65 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Emy is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Emy a female name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Emy 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.

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