Emmeline
Emmeline was the 922nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 284 babies. Its best year was 2017, when it ranked 753rd with 370 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 112 places. More babies were named Emmeline in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning from Ameline (Germanic amal-) · English, Old French, Germanic
Say it EM-uh-leen /ˈɛməlin/
- Rank in 2025
- #922 girls, down 58 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 284girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2017370 babies
- Total since 1880
- 6,152babies recorded
What does the name Emmeline mean?
Emmeline is a medieval English form of Old French Ameline, a diminutive of names beginning with the Germanic element amal- 'work, vigor', the same root as Amelia, as Wiktionary notes. The Normans brought it to England, where it appears as Emeline. It was revived in the 19th century and is associated with Emmeline Pankhurst, leader of the British women's suffrage movement.
Ameline (Old French, “diminutive of Amal- names”)*amal- (Proto-Germanic, “work, vigor”)
How sure is this? Probable. The Germanic element is reconstructed; Emmeline is also often linked to Emma.
Related names: Emeline, Emmelina, Amelia, Emma.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean strength.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Emmeline', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Amelia', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Nicknames for Emmeline
The usual nicknames for Emmeline are Emmy and Em. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Emmeline in the last five years, 224 were named Emmy, against 235 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmy · also for Emilia, Emily, Emma | Traditional | #445 | 3,181 |
| Em · also for Emilia, Emily, Emma | Modern | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Emmelines go by each one.
Emmeline popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #922 | 284 |
| 2020 | #864 | 311 |
| 2010 | #1,571 | 140 |
| 2000 | #2,642 | 56 |
| 1990 | #3,648 | 29 |
| 1980 | #6,033 | 11 |
| 1970 | #7,335 | 6 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | #3,717 | 8 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | #1,621 | 7 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Emmeline, counting every spelling?
Emmeline is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #592 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #922 for Emmeline on its own. Together these spellings went to 503 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmeline | 284 | #922 | 1,418 |
| Emelyn | 79 | #2,303 | 397 |
| Emeline | 62 | #2,759 | 336 |
| Emmelyn | 46 | #3,353 | 169 |
| Emelin | 14 | #7,601 | 76 |
| Emelynn | 10 | #9,645 | 60 |
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 Emmeline?
284 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Emmeline (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Emmeline 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 30 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Emmeline.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Emmeline?
About 5,900 people born in the US named Emmeline are alive today, with a median age of 10; half are between 6 and 15. That makes Emmeline a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Emmeline by state
How common Emmeline was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Utah (3.3×), Massachusetts (2.6×), Washington (2.0×), Wisconsin (1.9×), Colorado (1.9×). In 21 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 Emmeline: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Emmeline, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Emmeline · Sibling names for Emmeline
Questions about the name Emmeline
What does Emmeline mean?
Emmeline means “from Ameline (Germanic amal-)” (English, Old French, Germanic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Emmeline?
Emmeline was the 922nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 284 babies. Its best year was 2017, when it ranked 753rd with 370 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 112 places. More babies were named Emmeline in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Emmeline a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Emmeline in the US.
Where is Emmeline most popular?
In 2021–2025, Emmeline was most common in Utah (0.58 per 1,000 girls), followed by Massachusetts and District of Columbia.