Bess vs Emma
Emma leads today (#3 vs #14,942), but Emma is slipping.
145 years, head to head
Babies named Bess and Emma per year in U.S. Social Security records, 1880–2025.
Head to head
2025 rank
#14,942
#3
Babies named in 2025
5
12,754
Peak year
1887
1881
Trend
Holding steady
Declining since 2013
Usually for
Girls
Girls
Lifetime births
7,171
776,439