Emerson Name Meaning

The name Emerson is often associated with strong leadership qualities and the ability to rule one’s own home or estate. It is also associated with hard work and determination. The name is often given to boys, but it is becoming more popular for girls as well.

History of the Name Emerson

The name Emerson is of English origin and is a variant of the name Emery, which means “home ruler” or “ruler of the estate.” The name Emery can be traced back to the medieval Germanic name Emmerich, which was composed of the elements “emmer” meaning “work” or “labor” and “ric” meaning “ruler” or “power.”

Origins of the Name Emerson

The name Emerson first started to be used as a given name in the 19th century, likely as a surname. In the United States, it has been most commonly used in the last century. The popularity of the name began to rise in the 1990s and has continued to grow in popularity in recent years.

Popularity of the Name Emerson

Emerson is a popular name, particularly in the United States. According to the Social Security Administration, the name Emerson was ranked as the #365 most popular name for girls in the United States in 2020. It’s also commonly seen in the list of top 1000 names for both boys and girls in various countries.

Final Thoughts on the Name Emerson

In conclusion, the name Emerson has a rich history, a strong meaning, and a growing popularity. If you’re looking for a name that represents leadership, determination, and hard work, Emerson may be the perfect choice for your little one. So, if you’re considering naming your baby girl Emerson, you’re in good company!

Infographic of Emerson name meaning, which is “The son of Emery.”
Ask your friends & family about Emerson…

Emerson Name Popularity

How popular is the name Emerson? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 0 0%
1911 0 0%
1912 0 0%
1913 0 0%
1914 0 0%
1915 0 0%
1916 0 0%
1917 0 0%
1918 0 0%
1919 0 0%
1920 0 0%
1921 0 0%
1922 0 0%
1923 0 0%
1924 0 0%
1925 0 0%
1926 0 0%
1927 0 0%
1928 0 0%
1929 0 0%
1930 0 0%
1931 0 0%
1932 0 0%
1933 0 0%
1934 0 0%
1935 0 0%
1936 0 0%
1937 0 0%
1938 0 0%
1939 0 0%
1940 0 0%
1941 0 0%
1942 0 0%
1943 0 0%
1944 0 0%
1945 0 0%
1946 0 0%
1947 0 0%
1948 0 0%
1949 0 0%
1950 0 0%
1951 0 0%
1952 0 0%
1953 0 0%
1954 0 0%
1955 0 0%
1956 0 0%
1957 0 0%
1958 0 0%
1959 0 0%
1960 0 0%
1961 0 0%
1962 0 0%
1963 0 0%
1964 0 0%
1965 0 0%
1966 0 0%
1967 0 0%
1968 0 0%
1969 0 0%
1970 0 0%
1971 0 0%
1972 0 0%
1973 0 0%
1974 0 0%
1975 0 0%
1976 0 0%
1977 0 0%
1978 0 0%
1979 0 0%
1980 0 0%
1981 0 0%
1982 0 0%
1983 0 0%
1984 0 0%
1985 0 0%
1986 0 0%
1987 0 0%
1988 0 0%
1989 0 0%
1990 0 0%
1991 0 0%
1992 0 0%
1993 0 0%
1994 0 0%
1995 0 0%
1996 0 0%
1997 6 0.0004%
1998 70 0.0047%
1999 96 0.0064%
2000 82 0.0054%
2001 105 0.007%
2002 228 0.0152%
2003 281 0.0185%
2004 221 0.0145%
2005 659 0.0431%
2006 1,046 0.0668%
2007 1,057 0.067%
2008 1,139 0.0737%
2009 991 0.0663%
2010 994 0.069%
2011 1,127 0.0791%
2012 1,290 0.0905%
2013 1,499 0.1053%
2014 1,668 0.1145%
2015 1,782 0.1225%
2016 1,938 0.1344%
2017 1,957 0.1402%
2018 1,927 0.1403%
2019 1,834 0.1355%
2020 156 1,729 0.1358%
2021 164 1,600 0.1309%
2022 169 1,700 0.1289%

Alaska (AK)

Alabama (AL)

Arkansas (AR)

Arizona (AZ)

California (CA)

Colorado (CO)

Connecticut (CT)

District of Columbia (DC)

Delaware (DE)

Florida (FL)

Georgia (GA)

Hawaii (HI)

Iowa (IA)

Idaho (ID)

Illinois (IL)

Indiana (IN)

Kansas (KS)

Kentucky (KY)

Louisiana (LA)

Massachusetts (MA)

Maryland (MD)

Maine (ME)

Michigan (MI)

Minnesota (MN)

Missouri (MO)

Mississippi (MS)

Montana (MT)

North Carolina (NC)

North Dakota (ND)

Nebraska (NE)

New Hampshire (NH)

New Jersey (NJ)

New Mexico (NM)

Nevada (NV)

New York (NY)

Ohio (OH)

Oklahoma (OK)

Oregon (OR)

Pennsylvania (PA)

Rhode Island (RI)

South Carolina (SC)

South Dakota (SD)

Tennessee (TN)

Texas (TX)

Utah (UT)

Virginia (VA)

Vermont (VT)

Washington (WA)

Wisconsin (WI)

West Virginia (WV)

Wyoming (WY)

Data via SSA.gov.



Lists With Emerson

Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Emerson.


15 Comments

  1. I heard the name from a radio host when I was in college, and fell in love when the name then and there. I kept that name in the back of my head, and thankfully when I met my now husband he also loved the name.

  2. My name is Emerson (she/her). Growing up I used to not like my name for a couple reasons but mainly because when I was younger it was mainly a “boys” name. But now as a girl with the name I am constantly getting compliments on it!! My name is Emerson Grace Go I’m not gonna put my full last name. But I love the way Emerson Grace flows together!! My “official” nickname is Egg and that is what is says on my birth certificate. I go by Emerson, Em, and Emmy. I’m 16 and some peoples reactions never fail to amaze me with my name lol. Anyways, whoever is reading this there is a reason you clicked on this website, if you are thinking of naming you child Emerson, DO IT!! thank you?

  3. From the moment i knew my name, i loved it. My middle name is Kaye and last name is Dal (Not willing to share remaining characters.) its Italian and sounds beautiful! Recommends for anyone looking for a cute and professional gender neutral name!

  4. It’s my name, I am female, I love my name but I feel weird because everybody spells my name wrong, I didn’t grow up with nicknames and I want to be called Em, Most people love he name but please think of your child

    • Didn’t know this was trending. What a surprise!
      Maybe my sister will name her baby girl Emerson, she wants to choose a gender neutral name.
      My name is Emerson,(he/him) too. Just like the race car driver Fittipaldi!” yeah…heard that one 1000x.
      I agree with the shorter nickname ‘Em’. I always preferred that to Emer, I used to dread that.
      Hey Emer! Ok please just…don’t. Em will do just fine. or the 2 m’s or one thing…two, no, one!
      I seem to have a lot in common whenever I meet an Emma, whether it’s being German descent, or just rhyming.

  5. We love how it’s gender neutral and it fit well with our last name. We liked that it sounds a little literary and it’s not a super common name.

  6. I first heard when a female customer came into my store and said that was their name. I didn’t know at the time that it was a unisex name. I love the meaning “brave, powerful”. We plan to use the nickname Emmie, which means “whole”. There’s something about a female name that means attributes that are stereotypically associated with males, that I love.

  7. I love boy names for girls names 🙂 from the moment I heard Emerson I knew it was the one.

  8. My son is named Emerson . He is a descendant of Ralph Waldo Emerson and family. It’s his grandmothers maiden name. It means son of emery so it’s originally a boys name but common for girls now also. I chose it half because of his lineage and half because I liked it and his brothers name is Harrison so they sound good together .

  9. We chose Emerson because of all the amazing poetic quotes by the author and because it means “brave” and we love that for our little girl

  10. We loved that Emerson means “brave, powerful”

  11. Not too common. We both liked it, long and short. Cute short names with Em or Emmy ? Middle name Bexley. Last name Gau.

    • Wow that is so unique and adorable. How would you spell Emerson?

  12. I love that this name means string and brave. It has now become unisex and can be professional yet feminine when we call her Eme. In the end we just knew she was going to be Emerson Jane.

  13. We made our minds up pretty early that our girl name was Emmy, but I wanted something more substantial and for Emmy to be short for something so we decided on Emerson. We love it and it suits our little lady so well!


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