How common is Emma, really?

Help! I’ve been obsessed with the name [name_f]Emma[/name_f] since I was 5. We’re about 3 months away from finally meeting baby girl. [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is still the favorite by far. We love the simplicity, easy spelling, classic feel, and meaning. But… it’s so dang popular… or, at least statistically?! I’m curious how popular it is for little ones out in the real world. I feel like I hear [name_f]Ellie[/name_f], Maddie/Addie, and Nora/Cora much more frequently. The only [name_f]Emma[/name_f] I know is 30. [name_f]My[/name_f] husband and I both have perfect “sweet spot” names - they aren’t weird, yet we were always the only one with our names in school. We are hesitant to burden our kiddo with a super-common name. I would love to hear your opinion and where you are located! I’m in the Midwest US. Thanks!!

i’m in the midwest us as well and i’ve never met an Emma! i know tons of Emilys though, and i think that makes Emma feel more popular

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I do know a ton of Emmas. [name_f]My[/name_f] age (early 20s) I had I think 5 Emmas in my grade in school. I know probably 20 Emmas under age 10, and I don’t know all that many kids in general. I have two baby cousins named [name_f]Emma[/name_f]. However, I live on the [name_u]East[/name_u] [name_u]Coast[/name_u] US so maybe it is different here?

That being said, it is a perfectly nice name! I has just lost its sparkle a bit for me because of how many I know.

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I know a ton of Emmas, honestly. I am not too far from the Midwest, and I work with kids, and it’s definitely one of the more popular names I’ve heard on little girls since I started working with kids about 5 years ago.
I don’t think that’s a bad thing, though! [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is popular for a reason, it’s a beautiful, classic, versatile name. If you love it, you shouldn’t discount it just because it’s popular. :slightly_smiling_face:

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I would use [name_f]Emma[/name_f]! It is popular, but that’s because it’s such a lovely choice! I wouldn’t pass on using your all-time favorite name because of the popularity.

You can check your state-specific data on the Social Security website to see if [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is less popular in your state than elsewhere. I checked a few Midwestern states and it doesn’t actually rank in the top 3 names for a few of them, so it’s possible it’s less popular where you live!

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I’m from the US South and now live in New a England and I’ve never personally met a young Emma. I have a coworker (probably early/mid 20s) named Emma and I know of one baby with the name, but even that is a friend of a friend kind of situation.

I’m sort of learning that the rankings may not be the best indicator of popularity. If it’s not a name used among your circle and if you don’t feel like you’ve heard it a lot, then it may not be as prominent in your sphere of life. And, at least for me, that’s what I think we should focus on more than overall popularity! I can get hung up on the # rank when in reality, I don’t know a lot of kids with those names.

You can also search by state on SSA.gov to see where it falls in your state. I like this tool, too, because it tells you how many Emmas were born in a given year in addition to the ranking.

TL;DR: Emma is sweet and sounds like a winner for you. I say use it!

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I love [name_f]Emma[/name_f]! If you haven’t met a baby [name_f]Emma[/name_f], it’s very possible it isn’t that popular in your area. I think you should use it either way though, it sounds like you love it so much!

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Thank you! I have pored over data, haha, just curious of others’ perceptions out in the world. If you combine sound-alike names (i.e. Sophia/Sofia, Nora/Norah, Amelia/Emilia, Mia/Mila etc…) [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is not even in the top 10 in my state. But she may not live here forever! :slight_smile: :relaxed:

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I know an absolute ton of Emma’s. It’s extremely popular! But if you love it, that doesn’t matter. :relaxed:

i know more emmas than i know of any other name, and it’s not even close— at least several dozen !! however, if you love it, that’s what matters :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

I only met two little Emmas when working with kids and it has decreased in popularity in the UK at least. I guess it all depends on your circle and where you are?

[name_f]Emma[/name_f] is a solid name - strong but feminine and popular for a reason. Maybe an unusual middle name would balance it out a bit - especially if she could could go by both occasionally?

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Thanks! Curious, where are you located? How old are the Emmas that you know?

Whoa, several dozen Emmas! You know more people than I do :joy: Curious, where are you located? How old are the Emmas that you know?

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I live in California! I know Emma’s ranging from toddlers to 20 year olds. I have a lot of family in Minnesota, too, who also account for two or three more girls named Emma I’ve known.

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I know quite a few Emma’s. It’s probably one of the most commonly used names for baby girls at least in my circles. It’s a fine name, but where I live in [name_u]New[/name_u] [name_f]England[/name_f] it’s extremely common

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midwest, and most are teens, young adults, & under— a mix of all those ages, really !

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I’ve met a lot of Emmas – There’s four in my year of 90 kids (mid-teens) and I also know a few who are in their 20s/30s (I’m not in the US). Despite popularity [name_f]Emma[/name_f] has always struck me as a name that fits a huge range of personalities, which is probably why every [name_f]Emma[/name_f] I know is completely distinctive from another – something that decreases the popularity feeling for me! [name_f]Emma[/name_f] is a great name and if you love it, go for it! :sparkles:

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I live in the midwest and I know at least 15 Emmas, youngest is 8 and oldest is 24. I think that range is where it’s most popular! I don’t see many babies named [name_f]Emma[/name_f] now!

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It’s likely she’ll have another [name_f]Emma[/name_f] in her class or sports team and very likely that she’ll meet more throughout her life, however, she won’t have the often-dreaded five Emmas in her class. Maybe she’ll wish to have a less popular name, maybe she loves having an immediate connection to others with her name (it’s an instant ice-breaker after all), you never know about these things.
There are many upsides to having a popular name, more than to having an uncommon name, really; the only thing I would do is to give her a more uncommon middle name so that she could have the option of using that one if she wanted to but also to avoid confusion if your surname is fairly popular (e.g. [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_f]Rose[/name_f] [name_u]Baker[/name_u] is probably a fairly common full name while [name_f]Emma[/name_f] [name_f]Coralie[/name_f] [name_m]Barker[/name_m] is not.)

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I’ve known at least 12 Emmas… it’s one name that’s always proved to be as common as the statistics show. I’m from the Midwest too.

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