| Emma | Amelia | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Whole, universal | Industrious, striving |
| Origin | Germanic | Germanic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | EM-uh | uh-MEEL-yuh |
| Syllables | 2 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2003 (22,719) | 2021 (13,041) |
| In 2025 | 12,754 | 12,699 |
| Trend | Steady | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Emma | Amelia |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 85,652 | 76,108 |
| 2010s | 195,070 | 93,850 |
| 2000s | 181,414 | 33,292 |
| 1990s | 58,252 | 13,559 |
| 1980s | 10,381 | 9,740 |
| 1970s | 4,665 | 5,321 |
| 1960s | 6,993 | 4,824 |
| 1950s | 14,613 | 5,189 |
| 1940s | 22,788 | 5,324 |
| 1930s | 30,022 | 5,958 |
| 1920s | 46,538 | 8,787 |
| 1910s | 41,819 | 8,832 |
| 1900s | 24,176 | 3,664 |
| 1890s | 28,652 | 3,725 |
| 1880s | 25,404 | 2,957 |
Emma comes from the Germanic ermen, meaning “whole” or “universal.” It has been used in England since the Norman Conquest.
Amelia comes from the Germanic amal, meaning “work” in the sense of industriousness and striving. It is sometimes blended with the Latin-rooted Emilia.
Emma is more popular than Amelia today: about 12,754 US babies were given the name Emma in 2025, compared with 12,699 named Amelia.
Emma means Whole, universal (Germanic origin), while Amelia means Industrious, striving (Germanic origin).
In US records, Emma first appears in 1880 and Amelia in 1880, so Emma has the longer recorded history.