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2025 data, released 8 May 2026

2025 data, released 8 May 2026

Emi

Emi was the 882nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 303 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 515 places. More babies were named Emi in the 2010s than in any other decade.

Meaning depends on the kanji (e.g. 'smile') · Japanese

Say it EM-ee /ˈɛmi/

Rank in 2025
#882 girls, up 476 places since 2020
Babies in 2025
303girls
Girls and boys
Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
Peak year
2025303 babies
Total since 1880
4,360babies recorded

What does the name Emi mean?

Emi is a Japanese girls' name, as Wikipedia notes. Its meaning depends on how it is written. Wiktionary lists spellings including 笑み, the word for a smile, and 恵美, from 恵, "blessing", and 美, "beautiful". In English-speaking families Emi may also be used as a short form of Emily or Emma, but the sources consulted do not record that use.

笑み (Japanese, “smile”)恵 (Japanese, “blessing”)美 (Japanese, “beautiful”)

How sure is this? Well established. The meaning depends on the kanji used.

Pronunciation: Japanese has no strong stress.

Related names: Emmy.

See also: Japanese names.

Sources for this meaning

Emi popularity since 1880

0125250375500 1900192019401960198020002020
Girls Babies per year, US, from Social Security records. Years with fewer than 5 babies show as zero.
YearRank (girls)Babies (girls)
2025#882303
2020#1,358161
2010#1,833111
2000#2,64156
1990#4,92219
1980#2,44839
1970#5,9698
1960——
1950#5,5355
1940#4,5425
1930——
1920#5,2115
1910——
1900——
1890——
1880——

How popular is Emi, counting every spelling?

Emi has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #858 for girls in 2025, against #882 on the official list.

How many kids will share the name Emi?

303 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Emi (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Emi 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 28 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Emi.

Chance of another Emi in a class of 20under 1 in 50US, born 2025
Most likely inHawaiiunder 1 in 50 (2024)

Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.

How old are people named Emi?

About 4,200 people born in the US named Emi are alive today, with a median age of 12; half are between 5 and 21. That makes Emi a young name: most people with it are children.

0–910–1920–2930–3940–4950–5960–6970–7980–8990+
Estimated people alive in the US with the name, by age, mid-2026. The darker bar holds the median age.

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.

Emi by state

How common Emi was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Hawaii (29.5×), California (2.8×), Washington (2.3×). In 33 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.

Alaska: fewer than 5 a yearAK–Maine: fewer than 5 a yearME–Wisconsin: fewer than 5 a yearWI–Vermont: fewer than 5 a yearVT–New Hampshire: fewer than 5 a yearNH–Washington: 0.33 per 1,000 babiesWA0.33Idaho: fewer than 5 a yearID–Montana: fewer than 5 a yearMT–North Dakota: fewer than 5 a yearND–Minnesota: 0.05 per 1,000 babiesMN0.05Illinois: 0.12 per 1,000 babiesIL0.12Michigan: fewer than 5 a yearMI–New York: 0.13 per 1,000 babiesNY0.13Massachusetts: 0.09 per 1,000 babiesMA0.09Oregon: fewer than 5 a yearOR–Nevada: 0.15 per 1,000 babiesNV0.15Wyoming: fewer than 5 a yearWY–South Dakota: fewer than 5 a yearSD–Iowa: fewer than 5 a yearIA–Indiana: fewer than 5 a yearIN–Ohio: fewer than 5 a yearOH–Pennsylvania: fewer than 5 a yearPA–New Jersey: 0.14 per 1,000 babiesNJ0.14Connecticut: fewer than 5 a yearCT–Rhode Island: fewer than 5 a yearRI–California: 0.39 per 1,000 babiesCA0.39Utah: 0.14 per 1,000 babiesUT0.14Colorado: 0.13 per 1,000 babiesCO0.13Nebraska: fewer than 5 a yearNE–Missouri: fewer than 5 a yearMO–Kentucky: fewer than 5 a yearKY–West Virginia: fewer than 5 a yearWV–Virginia: 0.14 per 1,000 babiesVA0.14Maryland: fewer than 5 a yearMD–Delaware: fewer than 5 a yearDE–Arizona: 0.21 per 1,000 babiesAZ0.21New Mexico: fewer than 5 a yearNM–Kansas: fewer than 5 a yearKS–Arkansas: fewer than 5 a yearAR–Tennessee: 0.04 per 1,000 babiesTN0.04North Carolina: 0.10 per 1,000 babiesNC0.10South Carolina: fewer than 5 a yearSC–District of Columbia: fewer than 5 a yearDC–Oklahoma: fewer than 5 a yearOK–Louisiana: fewer than 5 a yearLA–Mississippi: fewer than 5 a yearMS–Alabama: fewer than 5 a yearAL–Georgia: 0.07 per 1,000 babiesGA0.07Hawaii: 4.2 per 1,000 babiesHI4.2Texas: 0.14 per 1,000 babiesTX0.14Florida: 0.13 per 1,000 babiesFL0.13
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex, Emi, girls, 2021–2025. Darker means more common.

Names with a similar history

These names rose and fell in step with Emi: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Emi, they share its era and feel.

Middle names for Emi · Sibling names for Emi

Emi is also a nickname for Emiliano.

Questions about the name Emi

What does Emi mean?

Emi means “depends on the kanji (e.g. 'smile')” (Japanese origin). Certainty: well established.

How popular is the name Emi?

Emi was the 882nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 303 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 515 places. More babies were named Emi in the 2010s than in any other decade.

Is Emi a boy or girl name?

In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Emi in the US.

Where is Emi most popular?

In 2021–2025, Emi was most common in Hawaii (4.19 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and Washington.