| Oakley | Emerson | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | oak clearing or meadow | Son of Emery |
| Origin | english | English |
| Gender | Unisex | Unisex |
| Pronunciation | OHK-lee | EM-er-sun |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1913 | 1993 |
| Peak year | 2025 (1,933) | 2025 (2,241) |
| In 2025 | 1,933 | 2,241 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Oakley | Emerson |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 10,227 | 11,246 |
| 2010s | 4,472 | 16,233 |
| 2000s | 464 | 6,205 |
| 1990s | 124 | 366 |
| 1980s | 11 | 0 |
| 1920s | 35 | 0 |
| 1910s | 27 | 0 |
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.
An English surname, “son of Emery,” with Emery meaning “brave, powerful.”
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.
Oakley means oak clearing or meadow (english origin), while Emerson means Son of Emery (English origin).
In US records, Oakley first appears in 1913 and Emerson in 1993, so Oakley has the longer recorded history.