How Many People Are Named Emma?
An estimated 548,640 people in the United States have the first name Emma. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #73 overall. It is almost exclusively a female name. The average bearer is 20 years old, and Emma peaked in popularity in 2003 with 22,756 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Larry (547,387).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Emma as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Emma paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Emma is overwhelmingly female, 1,718 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
548,640
About 1 in 625 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Common
Predicted Gender
Female
99.8% confidence
Average Age
20
years old
Peak Year
2003
22,756 births
Total Registered
765,264
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Emma
Emma is almost exclusively a female name. Out of 765,264 total births registered, 99.8% were female.
Emma as a male name
Ranked #5,710 in 2024
16 male births in 2024
Peak: 2004 (102 births)
Emma as a female name
Ranked #2 in 2024
13,485 female births in 2024
Peak: 2003 (22,719 births)
Emma in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 498,221 people with the first name Emma, which placed it at #86 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Emma was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 498,221 people with this name in that snapshot, 0.2% were male and 99.8% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is female 99.8% of the time.
Census Count
498,221
people with this name
Census Rank
#86
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
164.96
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Emma was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (71.73%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (16.20%) and Black (4.29%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Emma in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Emma.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 71.73% | 357,378 |
| Hispanic | 16.20% | 80,699 |
| Black | 4.29% | 21,349 |
| Two or More Races | 4.10% | 20,408 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 3.19% | 15,895 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.50% | 2,487 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Emma: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Emma span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 195,190 babies were registered. While Emma is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Emma by Decade
How has Emma tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 25,512 | 108 | 25,404 | |
| 1890s | 28,763 | 111 | 28,652 | |
| 1900s | 24,268 | 92 | 24,176 | |
| 1910s | 41,963 | 144 | 41,819 | |
| 1920s | 46,730 | 192 | 46,538 | |
| 1930s | 30,230 | 208 | 30,022 | |
| 1940s | 22,900 | 113 | 22,787 | |
| 1950s | 14,658 | 44 | 14,614 | |
| 1960s | 7,009 | 18 | 6,991 | |
| 1970s | 4,683 | 16 | 4,667 | |
| 1980s | 10,448 | 62 | 10,386 | |
| 1990s | 58,320 | 70 | 58,250 | |
| 2000s | 181,690 | 297 | 181,393 | |
| 2010s | 195,190 | 162 | 195,028 | |
| 2020s | 72,900 | 81 | 72,819 | |
Emma by State
Birth registrations for Emma span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, New York. The lowest are in Wyoming, Alaska, Vermont. On average, about 13,400 Emmas were registered per state.
Emma + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Emma as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Emma
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
Emma: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Emma?
We estimate approximately 548,640 people named Emma are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 625 Americans share this first name.
Is Emma a common name?
Emma is classified as "Very Common" and is more popular than 99.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 765,264 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Emma most popular?
Emma reached peak popularity in 2003, when 22,756 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Emma is approximately 20 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Emma in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 498,221 people with the first name Emma. That placed it at #86 in the published Census first-name tables, or 164.96 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Emma was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Emma?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Emma was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 0.2% male and 99.8% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Emma?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Emma was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (71.73%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (16.20%) and Black (4.29%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Emma a female name?
Emma is predominantly female. 99.8% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Emma have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Emma peaked in 2003, and the average living bearer is about 20 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Emma Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Emma Smith, Emma Johnson, Emma Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
Search for a full name combination
How Many of Me