# Emerson (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/emerson/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 30,702 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,145 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 10,056 people |
| Change since 2000 | +2.2% (30,028 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛmɚ.sən/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Emmerson |

## Etymology

From Emery + -son.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Emerson in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 85% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 8.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.7% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.6% |
| Two or more races | 2.0% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Emerson in the United States and Australia.

## People named Emerson

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, American philosopher (1803–1882)
- Michael Emerson, American actor (born 1954)
- Roy Emerson, Australian tennis player
- E. Allen Emerson, American computer scientist (1954–2024)
- Hope Emerson, American actress (1897–1960)
- Jacqueline Emerson, American actress and singer
- Faye Emerson, American actress (1917–1983)
- Gladys Emerson, American historian, biochemist and nutritionist (1903–1984)
- Douglas Emerson, American actor
- Harrington Emerson, American efficiency engineer and business theorist (1853–1931)
- Jo Ann Emerson, American politician
- Claudia Emerson, American academic, writer and poet

and 6 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Emmerson, Emerick, Enriquez, Enright, Emrick, Emrich, Emmerich, Enrique.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.