Nameling

Ema

Gender
Girl
Say it
EM-a
Origin
Germanic
UK rank, 2025
#996 for girls
US rank, 2025
#1,348 for girls

Ema is a girls' name of Germanic origin, meaning “whole, universal”. In 2025 it ranked 996th for girls in the UK (37 babies) and 1,348th for girls in the US (164 babies).

What does Ema mean?

Germanic: form of Emma used in several European languages

“whole, universal”

Czech, Slovak, Croatian, Slovene and Portuguese form of Emma.

Is Ema a girl's or a boy's name?

Ema is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 37 girls in the UK and 164 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Ema in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#996among girls
Babies in 2025
37about 1 in 7,500 girls
Five-year trend
Steadydown 16% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 37 girls in the UK were named Ema, making it the 996th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 828th. Its busiest year was 2017, with 75 girls.

It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Ema than any year since 2010.

Half of all the girls named Ema in the UK since 1996 were born between 2011 and 2020, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 646 girls in the UK were given Ema or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #94, up from #996 for this spelling alone.

Among girls in 2025, it was 951st in England and Wales.

1997Busiest: 75 in 20172025
Ema in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
202537#996
202448#826
202352#747
202253#751
202158#711
202047#828
201952#790
201864#683
201775#615
201657#758
201569#648
201447#874
201356#761
201244#919
201165#671
201034#1,055
200935#996
200829#1,119
200726#1,170
200619#1,418
200515#1,608
200411#1,949
200315#1,492
200214#1,475
200111#1,723
20008#2,097
19993#4,041
19988#2,110
19977#2,281

How popular is Ema in the US?

Rank in 2025
#1,348among girls
Babies in 2025
164about 1 in 9,800 girls
Five-year trend
Steadyup 10% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 164 girls in the US were named Ema, making it the 1,348th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,510th. It first appears in the records in 1883.

2025 had the most girls named Ema of any year since it first appeared, in 1883.

Half of all the girls named Ema in the US since 1880 were born between 1994 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 12,923 girls in the US were given Ema or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #5, up from #1,348 for this spelling alone.

1883Busiest: 164 in 20252025
Ema in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025164#1,348
2024136#1,559
2023156#1,430
2022144#1,506
2021106#1,871
2020141#1,510
2019150#1,465
2018124#1,677
2017130#1,655
2016151#1,505
2015156#1,470
2014145#1,515
2013137#1,570
2012136#1,591
2011161#1,415
2010134#1,611
2009148#1,528
2008153#1,521
2007136#1,635
2006152#1,462
2005133#1,539
2004134#1,497
2003125#1,541
200281#2,097
200158#2,596
200050#2,850
199944#2,988
199847#2,795
199729#3,812
199628#3,826
199536#3,147
199438#3,033
199324#4,252
199220#4,842
199118#5,175
199017#5,281
198916#5,280
198823#3,888
19879#7,348
198613#5,456
198518#4,280
198413#5,221
198315#4,685
198215#4,714
198115#4,745
198011#5,911
197917#4,230
197810#5,957
19777#7,565
197615#4,152
197519#3,513
197416#3,862
197311#4,869
197211#4,792
19710–
19708#5,817
19698#5,455
19686#6,244
19675#6,803
19660–
19655#6,538
196410#4,354
19636#5,890
19620–
19619#4,545
19606#5,695
19596#5,565
19587#4,889
19575#6,085
19566#5,324
19556#5,207
19547#4,653
195313#3,105
19525#5,561
19517#4,384
195012#3,051
19499#3,611
19487#4,203
19479#3,704
194616#2,391
19458#3,386
19448#3,377
19437#3,800
194211#2,815
19418#3,250
194010#2,736
193911#2,590
193810#2,729
193713#2,317
19369#2,855
193515#2,094
193420#1,697
193318#1,835
193219#1,816
193124#1,548
193022#1,702
192925#1,554
192828#1,501
192728#1,558
192621#1,882
192518#2,118
192416#2,307
192330#1,490
192231#1,464
192111#2,940
192021#1,889
191918#1,989
191812#2,673
191714#2,315
191617#1,949
191522#1,571
191414#1,818
19137#2,538
19127#2,359
19116#2,191
191010#1,521
19096#1,957
19080–
19070–
19060–
19050–
19049#1,250
19035#1,791
19029#1,219
19010–
19005#1,931
18996#1,393
18987#1,379
18978#1,167
18966#1,416
18959#1,123
18940–
18930–
18920–
18910–
18907#1,099
18898#950
18880–
188710#733
18860–
18855#1,047
18846#930
18838#692

Names like Ema

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Ella Isla Lyla Bella Eliza Ava Zara Luna Ada Myla Mila Emilia

Other spellings of Ema

Emma Emmah

Names related to Ema

Emaya Emya Emiah Emyah

More Germanic names

Amelia Liam Henry Charlotte William Archie Charlie Freddie Harry Millie Albie Matilda Louie Miles Alice Myles

Every Germanic name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Ema: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ema, updated 20 October 2026.