Rising since 1985, #74 for girls today.
Popularity of Emery since 1880
Babies named Emery per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0 | 449 |
| 1890s | 0 | 419 |
| 1900s | 5 | 398 |
| 1910s | 11 | 2,047 |
| 1920s | 46 | 2,495 |
| 1930s | 12 | 1,657 |
| 1940s | 10 | 1,363 |
| 1950s | 14 | 1,275 |
| 1960s | 12 | 1,095 |
| 1970s | 55 | 735 |
| 1980s | 172 | 772 |
| 1990s | 571 | 789 |
| 2000s | 3,550 | 1,665 |
| 2010s | 20,971 | 3,282 |
| 2020s | 18,408 | 1,971 |
Meaning & origin
Emery pulled off a quiet gender migration that took four decades. A medieval male name that the Normans carried to England and Americans mostly knew as a surname, it began climbing in 1985 and crossed into predominantly feminine use as parents fell for its kinship with Emma, Avery, and Everly. The climb has never really paused: 2025 marked its all-time peak, at No. 74, with about 1 in every 501 newborns receiving the name.
Its strongest states are Wyoming, South Dakota, and Vermont, making Emery a distinctly small-state, wide-sky favorite rather than a coastal trend. The name wears its history lightly. Few of the girls now named Emery will know about the debated Germanic roots or bearers like the Arts and Crafts engraver Emery Walker, but the surname texture is exactly what separates it from the Emmas and Emilys it otherwise rhymes with.
Emery descends from the Germanic name Emmerich, brought to England by the Normans in forms like Emery and Amery. Its second element is clearly ric ("ruler, power"), but scholars disagree about the first, variously connecting it to amal ("vigor, bravery"), ermen ("whole, universal"), or heim ("home"), so the traditional glosses should be taken loosely. The medieval given name hardened into surnames, Emery, Emory, and Amory among them, and for most of American history the first name was an uncommon choice for boys. Its modern life is different: rising since 1985 as a girls' name in the sound neighborhood of Emma, Avery, and Everly, it reached an all-time peak in 2025.
Read more: Emery on Wikipedia
Where Emery is most popular
Births per 100,000 girls by state. Press play or drag the slider to watch it move across the decades. The lightest shade means too few recorded births.
“Emery” around the world
Where Emery lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
10
babies in 2024
Quebec
11
babies in 2025
Sources: INSEE (France) · Retraite Québec (Quebec).
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Em, Emmy, Emme
Famous people named Emery
- Emery Walker · English engraver central to the Arts and Crafts movement
- Emery Barnes · American-born football player turned British Columbia legislator
Sibling names for Emery
Names that share Emery's style, for a brother or sister.
Sisters: Everly, Amelia, Nora, Charlotte, Gemma, Ellery, Landry, Leona, Avalee, Emmer, Janely, Jentry, Lainee, Maylin, Ridley, Alley, Alynn, Ameris, Amery, Anely, Aubryn, Averee, Avrie, Avry, Callyn, Ellory, Embree, Embry, Emerly, Emri, Keili, Kloie, Lynleigh, Addley, Denym, Eisley, Ellary, Enslee, Harly, Kenslei, Kynslei, Mayley, Witney, Emberli, Alonnie, Amary, Ambry, Amyrie, Anelly, Baylynn, Bryella, Cambrey, Emony, Haelee, Ivylynn, Joellie, Jurney, Jury, Laelyn, Ryin, Ryleah, Thailyn
Brothers: Beckett, Sawyer, Lincoln, Bennett, Hudson, Grayson, Jase, Gentry, Kayson, Kyson, Kylin, Bodey, Darey, Weaver, Arjay, Ayron, Cardin, Graylen, Slayden, Talen, Treyce, Vayden, Bryten, Graysin, Kashus, Kholton, Khylon, Waelyn
Names like Emery
Names whose popularity has moved with Emery's over the last 50 years.
