| Emerson | Oakley | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Son of Emery | oak clearing or meadow |
| Origin | English | english |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Pronunciation | EM-er-sun | OHK-lee |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1993 | 1913 |
| Peak year | 2025 (2,241) | 2025 (1,933) |
| In 2025 | 2,241 | 1,933 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Emerson | Oakley |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 11,246 | 10,227 |
| 2010s | 16,233 | 4,472 |
| 2000s | 6,205 | 464 |
| 1990s | 366 | 124 |
| 1980s | 0 | 11 |
| 1920s | 0 | 35 |
| 1910s | 0 | 27 |
An English surname, “son of Emery,” with Emery meaning “brave, powerful.”
A surname and place name from Old English 'ac' (oak) + 'leah' (woodland clearing or meadow), so literally 'the oak clearing'. It names numerous English villages (in Bedfordshire, Hampshire, Kent and elsewhere) and only became common as a given name recently.
Emerson is more popular than Oakley today: about 2,241 US babies were given the name Emerson in 2025, compared with 1,933 named Oakley.
Emerson means Son of Emery (English origin), while Oakley means oak clearing or meadow (english origin).
In US records, Emerson first appears in 1993 and Oakley in 1913, so Oakley has the longer recorded history.