Merle vs Emma
Emma leads today (#3 vs #3,450), but Merle is climbing faster.
145 years, head to head
Babies named Merle and Emma per year in U.S. Social Security records, 1880–2025.
Head to head
2025 rank
#3,450 (boys)
#3 (girls)
Babies named in 2025
33
12,754
Peak year
1918
1881
Trend
Rising since 2013
Declining since 2013
Usually for
Boys
Girls
Lifetime births
30,666
776,439