Emerald
Emerald was the 741st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 367 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 708th with 397 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 507 places. More babies were named Emerald in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning emerald (gem name) · Greek, Latin, French
Say it EM-er-uld /ˈɛmərəld/
- Rank in 2025
- #741 girls, up 213 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 367girls
- Girls and boys
- 94% girls, 6% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2024397 babies
- Total since 1880
- 10,056babies recorded
What does the name Emerald mean?
Emerald is a gem name for the green precious stone. DMNES traces it through Old French esmeraude to Latin smaragdus, an emerald or other green gem, and records it as a medieval French name. The American Heritage Dictionary takes the word further back to Greek smaragdos, probably of Semitic origin. Wiktionary describes the given name as a modern coinage from the gem, and Spanish Esmeralda is the same word. Emerald has been used in the US since 1904.
σμάραγδος (Ancient Greek, “emerald, green gem”)smaragdus (Latin, “emerald”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Esmeralda, Emmy, Jade.
See also: English names, names that mean jewel.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Emerald', DMNES (Durham University)
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th ed., entry 'emerald' (etymology), HarperCollins / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Wiktionary, entry 'Emerald' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Emerald popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #741 | #3,536 | 367 | 32 |
| 2020 | #954 | #7,684 | 268 | 10 |
| 2010 | #1,698 | — | 124 | — |
| 2000 | #966 | — | 219 | — |
| 1990 | #1,088 | — | 162 | — |
| 1980 | #2,447 | — | 39 | — |
| 1970 | #5,515 | — | 9 | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | #4,168 | — | 5 |
| 1920 | #2,779 | #2,500 | 12 | 12 |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Emerald, counting every spelling?
Emerald has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #751 for girls in 2025, against #741 on the official list, because Kaylin/Kaylynn/Kailyn and Jayleen/Jaylene/Jaelynn and Carly/Karlee/Carlee move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Emerald?
367 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Emerald (0.10 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Emerald 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 23 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Emerald.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Emerald?
About 9,200 people born in the US named Emerald are alive today, with a median age of 20; half are between 7 and 31. That makes Emerald 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.
Emerald by state
How common Emerald was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Louisiana (2.1×), Oklahoma (1.8×), Georgia (1.7×), North Carolina (1.6×), Missouri (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, Connecticut, Iowa.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Emerald: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Emerald, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Emerald · Sibling names for Emerald
Questions about the name Emerald
What does Emerald mean?
Emerald means “emerald (gem name)” (Greek, Latin, French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Emerald?
Emerald was the 741st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 367 babies. Its best year was 2024, when it ranked 708th with 397 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 507 places. More babies were named Emerald in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Emerald a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 94% girls, 6% boys given the name Emerald in the US.
Where is Emerald most popular?
In 2021–2025, Emerald was most common in Louisiana (0.48 per 1,000 girls), followed by Oklahoma and Georgia.