The first name Emil
A boy’s name from Latin meaning “rival”.
2 syllables Male
Meaning and origin
Latin origin
Emil means “rival” in Latin.
From German Emil, from Latin Aemilius, a Roman family name possibly from aemulus (“rival”). Cognate with French Émile.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 43 boys were named Emil, making it the 771st most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2015, with 76 births (#506).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Emil with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Emil at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 155 boys born in the United States were named Emil, the 1,269th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1917, when 1,004 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Emil in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Emil in Czech, Danish, German, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian and Swedish too.
Famous people named Emil
192 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Emil FischerGerman chemist (1852–1919)
- Carl Gustaf Emil MannerheimFinnish military leader and statesman (1867–1951)
- Emil ZátopekCzech long-distance runner (1922-2000)
- Emil JanningsGerman actor (1884-1950)
- Emil NoldeGerman artist (1867–1956)
- Emil Boc61st Prime Minister of Romania (2008-2012)
- Emil LenzBaltic German physicist (1804-1865)
- Emile BerlinerGerman-born American inventor (1851–1929)
- Emil HáchaCzech politician, political prisoner, lawyer, translator and judge (1872-1945)
- John Louis Emil DreyerDanish-Irish astronomer, 1852–1926
- Emil ArtinAustrian-Armenian mathematician (1898–1962)
- Emil KostadinovBulgarian footballer, born 1967
More Latin boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Emil mean?
- Emil means “rival” in Latin.
- What is the origin of the name Emil?
- From German Emil, from Latin Aemilius, a Roman family name possibly from aemulus (“rival”). Cognate with French Émile.
- How popular is the name Emil?
- In 2025, 43 boys born in England and Wales were named Emil, ranking 771st. Its peak was 2015, with 76 births.
- Is Emil a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 33,230 US babies named Emil since 1880 were boys.
- When was Emil most popular?
- 1917 in the United States, when 1,004 babies were named Emil, its highest rank at 137th.