Emmett
Emmett was the 121st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 2,950 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 103rd with 3,663 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 18 places. More babies were named Emmett in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning little Emma (probably) · English, Germanic
Say it EM-it /ˈɛmɪt/
- Rank in 2025
- #121 boys, down 14 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,950boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20213,663 babies
- Total since 1880
- 78,872babies recorded
What does the name Emmett mean?
Emmett is an English surname that Wiktionary derives from a medieval pet form of the woman's name Emma, and DMNES records the diminutive Emmot in England in 1379. Emma itself began as a short form of Germanic names starting with ermen, 'whole, great'. Some Emmett families may instead take their name from places such as Emmott in Lancashire. Wikipedia lists other popular links, such as the Hebrew word emet, 'truth', but these are sound-alikes rather than sources of the English surname.
Emmot (Middle English, “pet form of Emma”)ermen (Old High German, “whole, great”)
How sure is this? Probable. The Emma pet-form derivation is the dictionary view; a place-name origin (Emmott) is possible for some families.
Other explanations you may read: Means 'truth' (from Hebrew emet).
Related names: Emmet, Emmitt, Emmit, Emma.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Emmett', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Emma', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wikipedia, 'Emmett (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Emmett popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 308 since 1917, 23 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #121 | 2,950 |
| 2020 | #107 | 3,406 |
| 2010 | #271 | 1,278 |
| 2000 | #740 | 231 |
| 1990 | #966 | 117 |
| 1980 | #857 | 107 |
| 1970 | #618 | 173 |
| 1960 | #544 | 212 |
| 1950 | #381 | 310 |
| 1940 | #303 | 338 |
| 1930 | #267 | 439 |
| 1920 | #209 | 614 |
| 1910 | #179 | 159 |
| 1900 | #175 | 119 |
| 1890 | #136 | 104 |
| 1880 | #176 | 74 |
How popular is Emmett, counting every spelling?
Emmett is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #110 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #121 for Emmett on its own. Together these spellings went to 3,461 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmett | 2,950 | #121 | 16,023 |
| Emmitt | 333 | #770 | 2,156 |
| Emmet | 110 | #1,555 | 591 |
| Emmit | 35 | #3,334 | 246 |
| Emet | 28 | #3,877 | 134 |
| Emett | 5 | #12,580 | 54 |
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 Emmett?
2,950 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Emmett (0.82 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Emmett 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 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Emmett.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Emmett?
About 58,600 people born in the US named Emmett are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 5 and 15. That makes Emmett 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.
Emmett by state
How common Emmett was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Vermont (3.7×), New Hampshire (3.4×), Maine (3.1×), South Dakota (3.1×), North Dakota (2.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Texas, District of Columbia, New Mexico.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Emmett: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Emmett, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Emmett · Sibling names for Emmett
Questions about the name Emmett
What does Emmett mean?
Emmett means “little Emma (probably)” (English, Germanic origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Emmett?
Emmett was the 121st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 2,950 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 103rd with 3,663 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 18 places. More babies were named Emmett in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Emmett a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Emmett in the US.
Where is Emmett most popular?
In 2021–2025, Emmett was most common in Vermont (6.85 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Hampshire and Maine.