| Hilda | Emery | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Battle | Brave, powerful |
| Origin | germanic | Germanic |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | HIL-duh | EM-uh-ree |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1906 |
| Peak year | 1921 (2,128) | 2025 (3,208) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 3,208 |
| Trend | Vintage | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Hilda | Emery |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 316 | 18,408 |
| 2010s | 448 | 20,971 |
| 2000s | 827 | 3,550 |
| 1990s | 1,362 | 571 |
| 1980s | 1,907 | 172 |
| 1970s | 2,582 | 55 |
| 1960s | 3,596 | 12 |
| 1950s | 6,303 | 14 |
| 1940s | 7,567 | 10 |
| 1930s | 9,454 | 12 |
| 1920s | 18,191 | 46 |
| 1910s | 15,674 | 11 |
| 1900s | 6,783 | 5 |
| 1890s | 4,732 | 0 |
| 1880s | 1,280 | 0 |
Built on the Germanic element 'hild' meaning 'battle'. It began as a short form of longer names such as Hildegard and Brunhild before becoming an independent name.
From the Germanic Emmerich — amal (work) and ric (power) — “brave, powerful ruler.”
Emery is more popular than Hilda today: about 3,208 US babies were given the name Emery in 2025, compared with 0 named Hilda.
Hilda means Battle (germanic origin), while Emery means Brave, powerful (Germanic origin).
In US records, Hilda first appears in 0 and Emery in 1906, so Hilda has the longer recorded history.