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Emily

Emily is a girl's name of English origin meaning “rival, emulator.” In 2024 it was given to 5,955 girls in the United States.

Emily at a glance

Gender
Girl name
Origin
English & American
Meaning
“rival, emulator”
Pronunciation
/ˈɛm.ə.li/
Also spelled
Emil

About the name Emily

Emily belongs to the English & American tradition. Its meaning — “rival, emulator” — is the sense carried by its English roots, and it is the meaning we verified against published sources for this page. It travels in a few spellings: Emil.

In the United States, Emily first appears in Social Security records in 1880. It climbed to its best-ever rank of #1 in 1996, and in 2024 5,955 babies received the name — 890,970 in total since 1880. Those are the official counts, not estimates.

Emily in US records

First recorded (US)
1880
Best US rank
#1 in 1996
Peak year
1999
Babies named Emily in 2024
5,955
Total since 1880
890,970

Spellings & short forms

Emil

Similar names

More names from the English & American shelf:

NancyEnglishBettyEnglishAshleyEnglishAmandaEnglishStephanieEnglishShirleyEnglishCatherineEnglishKatherineEnglish

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Emily mean?

Emily means “rival, emulator” in its English roots. We check every meaning against published sources before it appears here.

Is Emily a boy or girl name?

Emily is a girl name. In 2024, 5,955 babies received the name in the US.

What origin is the name Emily?

Emily comes from the English & American tradition. It is also spelled Emil.

How popular is the name Emily?

Emily first appears in US records in 1880. Its best-ever ranking was #1 in 1996, and 5,955 babies were given the name in 2024.

How do you pronounce Emily?

Emily is pronounced /ˈɛm.ə.li/ (IPA).

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Meaning and origin for this page were checked against this source. US popularity figures are from the Social Security Administration's public baby-names data. If you spot an error, write to [email protected] — accuracy is the whole point of this site, and corrections are made fast.