The first name Emma
A girl’s name meaning “entire”.
Pronounced /ˈɛmə/ 2 syllables Female Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Emma means “entire”.
Brought to England by the Normans; short form of compound given names beginning with a Frankish prototheme Ermin- or Irmin- "entire", from Proto-Germanic *ermunaz.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 536 girls were named Emma, making it the 85th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 1996, with 4,232 births (#14).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Emma with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Emma at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 12,754 girls born in the United States were named Emma, the 3rd most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 2003, when 22,719 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.
Emma in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Emma in Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish too.
Nicknames and spellings
Nicknames for Emma
Famous people named Emma
191 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Emma WatsonEnglish actress (born 1990)
- Emma ThompsonEnglish actress and screenwriter (born 1959)
- Emma RaducanuBritish tennis player (born 2002)
- Emma BuntonBritish singer (born 1976)
- Emma CorrinBritish actor (born 1995)
- Emma MackeyBritish-French actress and model (born 1996)
- Emma MyersAmerican actress (born 2002)
- Emma ThomasBritish film producer (born 1971)
- Emma CaulfieldAmerican actress, born 1973
- Emma LazarusAmerican poet (1849–1887)
- Emma McKeonAustralian swimmer (born 1994)
- Emma D'ArcyEnglish actor (born 1992)
Questions
- What does the name Emma mean?
- Emma means “entire”.
- How popular is the name Emma?
- In 2025, 536 girls born in England and Wales were named Emma, ranking 85th. Its peak was 1996, with 4,232 births.
- What are nicknames for Emma?
- Common nicknames for Emma include Emmy.
- Is Emma a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 778,172 US babies named Emma since 1880 were girls.
- When was Emma most popular?
- 2003 in the United States, when 22,719 babies were named Emma, its highest rank at 2nd.
- How do you pronounce Emma?
- Emma is /ˈɛmə/, 2 syllables.
- Is Emma also a surname?
- Yes. Emma is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.