Nels vs Emma
Emma leads today (#3 vs #4,539), but Nels is climbing faster.
145 years, head to head
Babies named Nels and Emma per year in U.S. Social Security records, 1880–2025.
Head to head
2025 rank
#4,539 (boys)
#3 (girls)
Babies named in 2025
22
12,754
Peak year
1893
1881
Trend
Rising since 2007
Declining since 2013
Usually for
Boys
Girls
Lifetime births
3,841
776,439