| Emma | Gertrude | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Whole, universal | Spear of strength |
| Origin | Germanic | germanic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | EM-uh | GUR-trood |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2003 (22,719) | 1917 (6,300) |
| In 2025 | 12,754 | 0 |
| Trend | Steady | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Emma | Gertrude |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 85,652 | 171 |
| 2010s | 195,070 | 236 |
| 2000s | 181,414 | 135 |
| 1990s | 58,252 | 102 |
| 1980s | 10,381 | 188 |
| 1970s | 4,665 | 380 |
| 1960s | 6,993 | 1,250 |
| 1950s | 14,613 | 3,936 |
| 1940s | 22,788 | 7,936 |
| 1930s | 30,022 | 16,137 |
| 1920s | 46,538 | 42,459 |
| 1910s | 41,819 | 49,565 |
| 1900s | 24,176 | 23,607 |
| 1890s | 28,652 | 19,898 |
| 1880s | 25,404 | 11,100 |
Emma comes from the Germanic ermen, meaning “whole” or “universal.” It has been used in England since the Norman Conquest.
From Germanic 'ger' (spear) and 'thrud' (strength), so 'strong spear'. The 'spear' element is a weapon of war rather than 'warrior' outright, but the martial sense is well established.
Emma is more popular than Gertrude today: about 12,754 US babies were given the name Emma in 2025, compared with 0 named Gertrude.
Emma means Whole, universal (Germanic origin), while Gertrude means Spear of strength (germanic origin).
In US records, Emma first appears in 1880 and Gertrude in 0, so Gertrude has the longer recorded history.