| Emily | Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Rival; eager | Victory |
| Origin | Latin | Latin |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | EM-uh-lee | vik-TOR-ee-uh |
| Syllables | 3 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1999 (26,542) | 1993 (12,925) |
| In 2025 | 5,451 | 4,027 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Emily | Victoria |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 37,622 | 27,560 |
| 2010s | 117,646 | 71,017 |
| 2000s | 223,768 | 84,967 |
| 1990s | 237,262 | 117,475 |
| 1980s | 131,764 | 53,272 |
| 1970s | 46,839 | 30,884 |
| 1960s | 12,332 | 37,733 |
| 1950s | 12,839 | 49,127 |
| 1940s | 13,409 | 20,752 |
| 1930s | 11,916 | 6,204 |
| 1920s | 18,754 | 10,547 |
| 1910s | 17,069 | 10,766 |
| 1900s | 6,423 | 3,692 |
| 1890s | 5,476 | 2,479 |
| 1880s | 3,368 | 1,440 |
Emily comes from the Roman family name Aemilius, linked to “rival” or “eager,” via the Latin Aemilia. It is carried by the poet Emily Dickinson and the novelist Emily Brontë.
Victoria is the Latin word for “victory,” and the name of the Roman goddess of triumph. Britain’s Queen Victoria, who reigned more than sixty years, turned it into a royal classic.
Emily is more popular than Victoria today: about 5,451 US babies were given the name Emily in 2025, compared with 4,027 named Victoria.
Emily means Rival; eager (Latin origin), while Victoria means Victory (Latin origin).
In US records, Emily first appears in 1880 and Victoria in 1880, so Emily has the longer recorded history.