Entry № 1696 · Latin origin

Emily Emily — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ EM-ih-lee /
Gender
Girl
Origin
Latin
Meaning
"Rival, eager"
Syllables
3
Rank · US 2025
№ 22
First recorded
Medieval (Latin)

A name that means "rival, eager".

Emily comes from the Latin Aemilia — the feminine of Aemilius, a Roman family name possibly from aemulus, meaning "rival" or "eager." The English form Emily took shape in the medieval period.

Emily was the most popular U.S. girls' name from 1996 to 2007 — twelve consecutive years at #1. The poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) and Emily Brontë (Wuthering Heights) are major American literary bearers. Today Emily sits in the U.S. top 25.

Rival. The most popular U.S. girls' name for 12 years.

The name in its native script.

Emily
Transliteration
Emily
Pronunciation
/ ˈɛm.ɪ.li /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Emily stands.

Current rank · 2025
№ 22 in the U.S.
All-time peak
№ 1 in 1996
Babies named Emily · last year
8124 in the U.S.
First entered SSA top-1000
1880
Rank, 1995–2025 Lower = more popular
№25 №75 №150 №250 1995 2005 2015 2020 2025 PEAK · №1 NOW · №22

Emilys before her.

Real people
Emily Dickinson
American poet.
1830 – 1886
Emily Brontë
British novelist, Wuthering Heights.
1818 – 1848
In fiction
Emily Cooper
Heroine of Emily in Paris.
Netflix, 2020 onward

Names connected to Emily.

The number behind Emily.

9

The Humanitarian

Emily reduces to nine — the number of bright devoted craft.

Why families chose this name.

"Twelve years at number one in America. Some names earn that. Emily was ours."
Catherine · Mother of one · Boston