Baby name meaning

Emily

Rival or industrious · Latin origin

Meaning & origin

Emily is a female name of Latin origin, meaning “Rival or industrious”.

How popular is Emily?

In England & Wales, Emily ranked #34 among girls' names in 2024, with 1,170 babies given the name — down from #4 in 2014. Its strongest year in the England & Wales series is 2003, when it reached #1.

In the United States, Emily was the #18 girls' name in the 2020 data, after peaking at #1 in 2000.

Emily — popularity rank over timePopularity rank of the girls' name Emily over time, lower rank number = more popular. England and Wales annual rank 1996 to 2024. United States rank sampled one year per decade, 1950 to 2020.#1#10#100#1,00019501960197019801990200020102024US 1950: #203US 1960: #251US 1970: #173US 1980: #31US 1990: #12US 2000: #1US 2010: #6US 2020: #18England & Wales 2024: #34United StatesEngland & Wales
Emily’s popularity rank over time — England & Wales annual rank (solid) and United States rank sampled once per decade (dashed), #1 at the top. Log scale: each gridline is 10× the rank above it.
Emily in England & Wales: rank and births in sampled years, plus its peak year. Source: ONS ‘Baby names in England and Wales’.
YearE&W rankBirths
1996#46,415
2000#26,232
2003#15,423
2005#24,752
2010#34,310
2015#33,893
2020#151,896
2024#341,170

Famous Emilys

Names that go well with Emily

Sarah

More on Emily

Latin at heart, meaning rival or industrious, softer than it sounds, and quietly everywhere.

Emily: the gentle classic with a fierce streak — Emily as our Name of the Day.

Swipe & match on Emily in Settle