Emeli
Emeli was the 4386th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 32 babies. Its best year was 2005, when it ranked 2064th with 91 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,141 places. More babies were named Emeli in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Emely) variant of Emily · Latin
- Rank in 2025
- #4,386 girls, up 822 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 32girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 200591 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,417babies recorded
What does the name Emeli mean?
Emeli is a spelling of Emely, pronounced the same way, so it shares Emely's meaning and origin.
Emely is a spelling of Emily used mainly in Spanish-speaking and German-speaking families. DMNES treats Emily as the feminine of Emil, from the Roman family name Aemilius, possibly from Latin aemulus, "rival, emulating", and notes it is often confused with Amelia, which has a different, Germanic origin. Wiktionary gives the same Latin derivation for Emily.
Aemilius (Latin, “Roman family name”)aemulus (Latin, “rival, emulating”)
How sure is this? Probable. The variant link is clear; the 'rival' meaning of Aemilius is possible but not certain.
Related names: Emily, Emilia, Emilie.
See also: Latin names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Emily', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Emily', DMNES, Durham University
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Emil', DMNES, Durham University
Emeli popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,386 | 32 |
| 2020 | #5,208 | 24 |
| 2010 | #2,760 | 64 |
| 2000 | #3,039 | 46 |
| 1990 | #9,533 | 8 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Emeli, counting every spelling?
Emeli is a spelling of Emely, a name family that ranked #494 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,386 for Emeli on its own. Together these spellings went to 638 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emely | 590 | #503 | 3,328 |
| Emeli | 32 | #4,386 | 151 |
| Emmely | 8 | #11,237 | 49 |
| Emelly | 8 | #11,231 | 32 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Emeli?
32 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Emeli (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Emeli born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 261 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Emeli.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Emeli?
About 1,400 people born in the US named Emeli are alive today, with a median age of 18; half are between 13 and 23. That makes Emeli mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Emeli by state
How common Emeli was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Emeli: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Emeli, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Emeli
What does Emeli mean?
Emeli is a spelling of Emely, which means “variant of Emily” (Latin origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Emeli?
Emeli was the 4386th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 32 babies. Its best year was 2005, when it ranked 2064th with 91 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,141 places. More babies were named Emeli in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Emeli a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Emeli in the US.
Where is Emeli most popular?
In 2021–2025, Emeli was most common in Texas (0.02 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and California.