Emmy
Emmy was the 445th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 695 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 174 places. More babies were named Emmy in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Emma, Emily or Amelia · English, Germanic, Latin
Say it EM-ee /ˈɛmi/
- Rank in 2025
- #445 girls, up 73 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 695girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025695 babies
- Total since 1880
- 12,963babies recorded
What does the name Emmy mean?
Emmy is a pet form of Emily, Emma, Emmeline or Amelia, as Wiktionary notes, and is also given as a name on its own. DMNES explains Emma as originally a pet form of Germanic names beginning with ermen, "whole, great", and Emily as Latin, from Aemilius. Its meaning therefore depends on the name it shortens.
ermen (Old High German, “whole, great”)
How sure is this? Well established. A pet form of several names.
Related names: Emma, Emily, Emmie, Amelia.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Emmy', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Emma', DMNES, Durham University
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Emily', DMNES, Durham University
Emmy popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #445 | 695 |
| 2020 | #518 | 585 |
| 2010 | #945 | 272 |
| 2000 | #2,023 | 82 |
| 1990 | #2,921 | 39 |
| 1980 | #1,374 | 91 |
| 1970 | #3,142 | 21 |
| 1960 | #2,762 | 20 |
| 1950 | #2,276 | 19 |
| 1940 | #1,854 | 19 |
| 1930 | #1,542 | 26 |
| 1920 | #1,836 | 22 |
| 1910 | #1,671 | 9 |
| 1900 | #1,622 | 7 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Emmy, counting every spelling?
Emmy is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #263 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #445 for Emmy on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,305 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmy | 695 | #445 | 3,181 |
| Emmie | 407 | #695 | 1,999 |
| Emmi | 124 | #1,669 | 566 |
| Emy | 63 | #2,728 | 275 |
| Emie | 16 | #6,927 | 71 |
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 Emmy?
695 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Emmy (0.19 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Emmy 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 12 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Emmy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Emmy?
About 12,000 people born in the US named Emmy are alive today, with a median age of 11; half are between 5 and 19. That makes Emmy 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.
Emmy by state
How common Emmy was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Nebraska (2.4×), Utah (2.4×), Minnesota (1.9×), Kentucky (1.8×), Connecticut (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arkansas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Emmy: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Emmy, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Emmy · Sibling names for Emmy
Emmy is also a nickname for Emilia, Emily, Emma, Emersyn, Emelia, Emiliana, Emmeline and Emmalyn.
Questions about the name Emmy
What does Emmy mean?
Emmy means “pet form of Emma, Emily or Amelia” (English, Germanic, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Emmy?
Emmy was the 445th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 695 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 174 places. More babies were named Emmy in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Emmy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Emmy in the US.
Where is Emmy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Emmy was most common in Nebraska (0.95 per 1,000 girls), followed by Utah and North Dakota.