Girls' name · peaked in 1999
Emily name popularity since 1925
855,314 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Emily. Half of them were born in 1998 or earlier, so the typical Emily is about 28 years old in 2026. Emily peaked in 1999 as the #1 name for girls, and it ranked #34 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 855,314
- Named Emily, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #34
- for girls in 2025 (5,451 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.8% girls
- 853,552 girls · 1,762 boys
- Most popular in
- New Hampshire
- 1.64× its national share
Peak year is the year Emily made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Emily births per year, 1925–2025
1999 was the biggest year for Emily both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1970 and 1975, Emily became 3.4× more common, from 1 in 905 baby girls to 1 in 266.
- Steepest fall: Between 2004 and 2009, its share of baby girls fell by 39%, from 1 in 73 to 1 in 120.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Emily's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Emily.
Decade by decade
Babies named Emily in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 8,155 | 28 | – |
| 1930s | 11,916 | 53 | #173 |
| 1940s | 13,409 | 33 | #181 |
| 1950s | 12,839 | 14 | #223 |
| 1960s | 12,332 | 5 | #238 |
| 1970s | 46,839 | 148 | #48 |
| 1980s | 131,764 | 527 | #24 |
| 1990s | 237,262 | 384 | #3 |
| 2000s | 223,768 | 393 | #1 |
| 2010s | 117,646 | 131 | #8 |
| 2020–25 | 37,622 | 46 | #34 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
40.3% of babies named Emily from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Emily is most popular
The index compares Emily's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Emily.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 1.64× | 4,440 |
| Nevada | 1.50× | 4,609 |
| Vermont | 1.47× | 2,114 |
| Alaska | 1.41× | 1,804 |
| Utah | 1.38× | 10,098 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Emily and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Emily (this page) | 853,552 | 1999 |
| Emilee | 23,935 | 2003 |
| Emely | 23,834 | 2005 |
| Emilie | 22,774 | 1880 |
| Emili | 1,923 | 2006 |
| Emiley | 1,761 | 2005 |
| Emilly | 1,462 | 2003 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Emily's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Emily.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Emily (1999).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data