Emma

Popularity

It became popular in the United States late in the 20th century, reaching the top 100 names for girls in the late 1990s. It has been among the top five names given to girls since 2002, and was the most popular name for girls in 2008 and from 2014 to 2018.

In England and Wales it was number 14 in 1996 but has dropped in popularity since (number 61 in 2021).

In Canada, it was the second most popular name given to girls in 2022.

Notable people

Emma, Lady Hamilton (1765–1815), English artist's model and performer

Emma, Lady Radford (died 1937), English antiquarian and public servant

Emma of Anjou (c. 1140 – c. 1214), Welsh royalty and half-sister of King Henry II of England

Emma of Austrasia (fl. early seventh century), Frankish royalty

Emma of Blois (c. 950–1003), Duchess consort of Aquitaine

Emma of France (died 935), Queen of Western Francia and military leader

Emma of Hawaii (1836–1885), queen to King Kamehameha IV from 1856 to his death in 1863

Emma of Italy (fl. 948–987), Queen of Western Francia

Emma of Lesum (c. 975–1038), saint and first female inhabitant of Bremen to be known by name

Emma of Mělník (b. before 950, d. 1005/1006), wife of Boleslav II of Bohemia and Bohemian duchess

Queen Emma of the Netherlands (1858–1934), Queen of the Netherlands and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

Emma of Normandy (c. 985–1052), twice Queen consort of the Kingdom of England

Emma of Paris (943–968)

Emma Adbåge (born 1982), Swedish illustrator and children's writer

Emma Adler (1858–1935), Austrian journalist and writer

Emma Ahuena Taylor (1867–1937), part-Native Hawaiian high chiefess

Emma Albani (1847–1930), Canadian operatic soprano

Emma Anderson (born 1967), English musician

Emma Anderson (professor), Canadian professor

Emma Andersson (born 1979), Swedish television personality and singer

Emma Andijewska (born 1931), modern Ukrainian poet, writer and painter

Emma Ania (born 1980), former track and field sprint athlete

Emma Ankudey (born 1943), Ghanaian former amateur boxer

Emma Anzai, bassist of Australian band Sick Puppies

Emma B. Alrich (1845–1925), American journalist, author, educator

Emma Appleton (born 1991), English actress and model

Emma Asp (born 1987), Swedish football defender

Emma Asson (1889–1965), Estonian politician

Emma Atkins (born 1975), English actress

Emma B (born 1970), English radio presenter

Emma Whitcomb Babcock (1849–1926), American litterateur, author

Emma Bache (born 1963), English graphologist

Emma Baeri (born 1942), Sicilian feminist historian and essayist

Emma Bailey (1910–1999), American auctioneer and author

Emma Baker (journalist), television journalist and presenter employed by ITV Channel

Emma Bale (born 1999), Belgian singer

Emma Dunning Banks (1856–1931), American actress, dramatic reader, teacher, and writer

Emma Bardac (1862–1934), French singer

Emma Barnett (born 1985), British broadcaster and journalist

Emma Baron (1904–1986), Italian stage and film actress

Emma Barrandeguy (1914–2006), Argentine writer, journalist, poet, storyteller and playwright

Emma Barrie (born 2002), Scottish netball player

Emma Barton (born 1977), English actress

Emma Bartoniek (1894–1957), Hungarian historian and bibliographer

Emma Bates (born 1992), American runner

Emma Pow Bauder (1848–1932), American evangelist and author

Emma Beckett (footballer) (born 1987), Irish football midfielder

Emma Bell (born 1986), American actress

Emma Lee Benedict (1857–1937), American editor, educator, author

Emma Bengtsson (born 1981), Swedish chef

Emma Bergesen (born 1999), Norwegian ice hockey player

Emma Berglund (born 1988), Swedish footballer

Emma Bonino (born 1948), Italian politician and human rights activist

Emma Scarr Booth (1835–1927), British-born American novelist, poet

Emma Bourne (1846–1924), American temperance activist and social reformer

Emma Eliza Bower (1852–1937), American physician, club-woman, and newspaper owner, publisher, editor

Emma Southwick Brinton (1834–1922), American Civil War nurse, traveller, correspondent

Emma Elizabeth Brown (1847–?), American writer, artist

Emma Alice Browne (1835–1890), American poet

Emma Bull (born 1954), American science fiction and fantasy author

Emma Bunton (born 1976), English singer, the Spice Girls

Emma Mieko Candon, American novelist

Emma Cannon (born 1989), American basketball player for the Israeli team Elitzur Ramla

Emma Caulfield (born 1973), American actress

Emma Chamberlain (born 2001), American internet personality

Emma Chambers (1964–2018), British actress

Emma C. Chappell (1941–2021), American banker

Emma Checker (born 1996), Australian footballer

Emma Churchill (1862–1957), founder of The Salvation Army in Newfoundland

Emma Coates (born 1991), English football player and manager

Emma Shaw Colcleugh (1846–1940), American journalist, lecturer, traveler, collector

Emma Comer, Australian politician

Emma Constable (born 1975), English badminton player

Emma Cornelis (born 1999), French rower

Emma Corrin (born 1995), English actress

Emma Amelia Cranmer (1858–1937), American reformer, suffragist, writer

Emma G. Cummings (1856–1940), American horticulturalist and ornithologist

Emma D'Arcy (born 1992), English actor

Emma Darwin (1808–1896), wife of Charles Darwin

Emma de Cartosio (1928–2013), Argentine writer

Emma de la Barra (1861–1947), Argentine writer

Emma Beard Delaney (1871–1922), Baptist missionary and teacher

Emma Lucy Dickson (1854–1926), Canadian writer who published one novel using the name Stanford Eleveth

Emma Didlake (1905–2015), oldest U.S. veteran

Emma Dolan (born 1998), English professional boxer

Emma Doran (fl. 2010's), Irish comedian and podcaster

Emma Dumont (born 1994), American actress and model

Emma Bedelia Dunham (1826–1910), American poet, teacher

Emma Ellingsen (born 2001), Norwegian model

Emma Catherine Embury (1806–1863), American author, poet

Emma Engdahl-Jägerskiöld (1852–1930), Finnish opera singer

Emma Pike Ewing (1838–1917), American educator, author

Emma Ferguson (born 1975), English actress, Mile High (TV series)

Emma Forsayth (born 1850), Samoan businesswoman and plantation owner

Emma B. Freeman (1880–1928), American photographer

Emma Freud (born 1962), English broadcaster

Emma Sheridan Fry (1864–1936), American actress, playwright, teacher

Emma Fürstenhoff (1802–1871), Swedish florist

Emma Sophia Galton (1811–1904), British finance guide author

Emma Gatewood (1887–1973), American hiker

Emma Gentry (born 2002), American ice hockey player

Emma George (born 1974), Australian pole vaulter

Emma Gilchrist, Canadian journalist

Emma Goldman (1869–1940), Lithuania-born anarchist, writer and orator

X González (born 1999), born Emma, American activist and advocate for gun control

Emma Graf (1865–1926), Swiss historian, teacher, suffragist

Emma Grant (footballer) (born 1989), Australian footballer

Emma Grede (born 1982), British businesswoman

Emma Green (athlete) (born 1984), Swedish athlete

Emma Green (nurse) (1843–1929), 19th century southern belle

Emma Jane Greenland (1760–1843), English painter, writer, singer

Emma Blood French (1853–1932), American philanthropist

Emma Azalia Hackley (1867–1922), African-American singer and political activist

Emma Harman (1912–2020), American politician

Emma Stark Hampton (1843–1925), American organizational leader

Emma Heming (born 1978), English actress

Emma Churchman Hewitt (1850–1921), American writer, journalist

Emma Hippolyte, Saint Lucian politician

Emma Holmgren (born 1997), Swedish footballer

Emma Hope (born 1962), British shoe designer

Emma Hult (born 1988), Swedish politician

Emma Hwang (born 1971), Taiwanese-American scientist and aquanaut

Emma Isaacs, Australian entrepreneur

Emma Haruka Iwao (born 1984), Japanese computer scientist

Emma Jansson (born 1996), Swedish footballer

Emma Jung (1882–1955), Swiss psychologist and writer

Emma Keenan (born 1997), Canadian ice hockey player

Emma V. Kelley (1867–1932), African-American educator and community organizer.

Emma Kennedy (born 1967), English actress

Emma Smith Kennedy (1869–1960), American writer and granddaughter of Joseph Smith, Jr

Emma Kickapoo (1880–1942), artists' model

Emma Kirchner (1830–1909) German photographer who lived and worked in the Netherlands.

Emma Kok (born 2008), Dutch singer

Emma Lahana (born 1984), New Zealand actress and singer

Emma Lai (born 1988), Hong Kong cricketer

Emma Laine (born 1986), Finnish tennis player

Emma Laird, British actress

Emma Lamb (born 1997), English cricketeer

Emma Lazarus (1849–1887), American poet

Emma Augusta Lehman (1841–1922), American teacher, poet, naturalist and botanical collector

Emma Lewell (born 1978), British politician

Emma Ljungberg (born 1994), Swedish discus thrower

Emma Logan, known as October (born 1997), New Zealand singer and model

Emma Mackey (born 1996), French-British actress

Emma Mäkelin (1874–1962), Finnish midwife and politician

Emma Malabuyo (born 2002), American gymnast

Emma Malewski (born 2004), German gymnast

Emma B. Mandl (1842–1928), Bohemian-born American social reformer, clubwoman, and community leader

Emma Marrone (born 1984), Italian pop singer

Emma Martín (born 2002), Spanish footballer

Emma Mason (born 1986), Scottish badminton player

Emma Masterson (born 1977), Thai actress, model, and television presenter

Emma Camp Mead (1866–1934), hotelkeeper and herbalist

Emma Meesseman (born 1993), Belgian basketball player

Emma Messing (1872–1950), American secretary and vaudeville performer

Emma Meyer (1859–1921), Danish painter

Emma Miyazawa (born 1988), Japanese actress

Emma Barrett Molloy (1839–1907), American journalist, lecturer, and activist

Emma Morano, (1899–2017) Italian supercentenarian

Emma Myers (born 2002), American actress

Emma Huntington Nason (1845–1921), American poet, author, and musical composer

Emma Navarro (born 2001), American tennis player

Emma Neale (born 1969), New Zealand novelist and poet

Emma Norton, a British lawyer specialising in soldier's rights

Emma Aline Osgood (1849–1911), American soprano

Emma Pérez Ferreira (1925–2005), Argentine physicist

Emma Plewa (born 1990), Welsh footballer

Emma Preuschl (born 1984), American rower

Emma Raducanu (born 2002), British tennis player

Emma Amy Rea (1865–1927), British mycologist

Emma May Alexander Reinertsen (1853–1920), American writer, social reformer

Emma Reyes (1919–2003), Colombian painter and writer

Emma Ann Reynolds (1862–1917), African-American teacher

Emma Richter (1888–1956), German palaeontologist

Emma Rigby (born 1989), English actress

Emma Roberts, British aristocrat

Emma Roberts (born 1991), American actress and singer

Emma Rochlin (born 1978), Scottish field hockey player

Emma Winner Rogers (1855–1922), American writer, speaker, suffragist

Emma Rolfe (1860–1876), English murder victim

Emma Ronsiek, American basketball player

Emma Ruth Rundle (born 1983), American musician

Emma Sachse (1887–1965), German activist for feminist and other political causes

Emma Salokoski (born 1976), Finnish singer-songwriter

Emma Samms (born 1960), English actress

Emma Sandys (1842–1877), English painter

Emma Clara Schweer (1896–2001), American politician

Emma Shapplin (born 1974), French soprano

Emma Augusta Sharkey (1858–1902), American writer, journalist, dime novelist, story-teller

Emma L. Shaw (1840–1924), American magazine editor

Emma Sidi (born 1991), English actress, comedian and writer

Emma Sinclair, British businesswoman

Emma H. Slade, American clubwoman

Emma Slater (born 1988), British ballroom dancer

Emma Smith (1804–1879), American religious leader and wife of Joseph Smith Jr.

Emma Smith (artist) (1783–1853), English artist

Emma Smith (author) (1923–2018), English novelist

Emma Smith (gymnast) (born 1991), British trampoline gymnast

Emma Elizabeth Smith (c. 1843–1888), prostitute and murder victim in London

Emma Smith (scholar) (born 1970), lecturer in English at the University of Oxford

Emma Waldo Smith Marshall (1879–1943), American Baptist missionary

Emma Snowsill (born 1981), Australian triathlete

Emma Solá de Solá (1894–1984), Argentine writer and poet

Emma Stone (born Emily Jean Stone in 1988), American actress

Emma Sulkowicz (born 1992), American performance artist and activist

Emma Swift (born 1981), Australian singer-songwriter

Emma Paddock Telford (1851–1920), American writer, war correspondent, editor, traveler

Emma Taylor-Isherwood (born 1987), Canadian actress, Angel in Kuu Kuu Harajuku

Emma Tenayuca (1916–1999), American labor leader and civil rights activist

Emma Tennant (1937–2017), British novelist

Emma Thomas (born 1971), British film producer

Emma Thomas (Quaker) (1872–1960), English schoolteacher

Emma Thomas (rugby union) (born 1958), New Zealand rugby union player

Emma Thompson (born 1959), British actress and screenwriter

Emma Tiglao (born 1994), Filipino actress, news anchor, model and beauty pageant titleholder

Emma Thynn, Viscountess Weymouth (born 1986), English socialite

Emma Rood Tuttle (1839–1916), American writer, poet

Emma Vuitton (born 2003), French canoeist

Emma Walker (2000–2016), American murder victim

Emma Wallrup (born 1971), Swedish politician

Emma Watkins (born 1989), Australian children's entertainer, The Wiggles

Emma Watson (born 1990), British actress

Emma Willard (1787–1870), women's education rights activist

Emma Willis (born 1976), British TV presenter and former model, presenter of Big Brother

Emma Heming Willis (born 1978), British-American model

Emma Willis (gymnast) (born 1992), Canadian artistic gymnast

Emma Woikin (1920–1974), Canadian spy for the Soviet Union

Emma Wolf (1865–1932), American litterateur and novelist

Emma Yong (1975–2012), Singaporean actress and singer

Emma Zimmer (1888–1948), overseer at the Ravensbrück concentration camp executed for war crimes

Characters

Emma, the main character in Emma: A Victorian Romance

Emma (The Promised Neverland), a main character in The Promised Neverland

Emma Bovary, the main character in Madame Bovary, the début novel of French writer Gustave Flaubert

Emma Brooker, a character from the British soap opera Coronation Street

Emma Carstairs, a character and protagonist in Cassandra Clare's The Shadowhunter Chronicles and heroine in The Dark Artifices

Emma Chase, Magnus Chase's cousin in Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

Emma Drake, a character in the American daytime drama General Hospital

Emma Frost in Marvel Comics

Aunt Emma "Em" Gale, Dorothy's aunt in The Wizard of Oz

Emma Geller-Green, daughter of Rachel Green and Ross Geller on Friends

Emma Goodall, the Megaforce Pink Ranger in Power Rangers Megaforce

Emma Kazama a character from Ultraman Teo

Emma Keane (Ackley Bridge), a teacher on Ackley Bridge

Emma Meyer, character in The Boys (franchise)

Emma Nelson (Degrassi: The Next Generation), the staple character in Degrassi: The Next Generation