UK name, mostly boys
Emerson
Derived from an Old English surname meaning "son of Emery".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Emerson is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Emerson popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #678, with 54 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 62 births.
This profile covers 948 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 87% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 950 living people in the UK are called Emerson. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Emerson ranked #678 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 54 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2015, when 62 boys were registered as Emerson.
- • Emerson ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #711 in 2020.
- • About 950 living people in the UK are estimated to have Emerson as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 85.8% of Emerson registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#678
2024
Births in 2024
54
Latest year
Peak year
2015
62 births
Estimated living
950
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Emerson
In England and Wales birth records, Emerson has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 85.8% of registrations are for boys and 14.2% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Emerson registered for boys
- Ranked #678 in 2024
- 54 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2015 (62 births)
Emerson registered for girls
- Ranked #2,253 in 2024
- 12 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (15 births)
Meaning
What does Emerson mean?
The name Emerson has its roots in the Old English language. It originated as a surname derived from the combination of two elements: "emer" meaning "brave" or "powerful", and "sunu" meaning "son". The name initially meant "son of Emer" or "son of the brave one".
The earliest recorded use of the name Emerson can be traced back to the 12th century in England. It was initially a surname but gradually transitioned into being used as a given name as well. The first known person to bear the name Emerson as a first name was Emerson Waldo, born in 1685 in Concord, Massachusetts.
One of the most notable figures in history with the name Emerson is Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), an American essayist, philosopher, and poet. He was a leading figure in the Transcendentalist movement and is renowned for his influential works such as "Nature" and "Self-Reliance".
Another famous Emerson was Emerson Moser (1859-1925), an American inventor who patented numerous inventions, including the rubber heel for shoes. The Moser Hotel in Richmond, Indiana, was named after him.
In the realm of sports, Emerson Fittipaldi (born 1946) is a Brazilian former racing driver who won the Formula One World Championship in 1972 and 1974.
Emerson Boozer (born 1950) is an American former professional football player who played as a running back for the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League (NFL).
Emerson Lake & Palmer (ELP) was a highly influential English progressive rock supergroup formed in 1970, consisting of Keith Emerson (1944-2016), Greg Lake (1947-2016), and Carl Palmer. They were known for their spectacular live performances and pioneering the use of synthesizers in rock music.
While the name Emerson has its origins in Old English, it has gained widespread popularity across various cultures and regions, with notable individuals bearing the name throughout history, contributing to its enduring legacy.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Emerson over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Emerson in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Emerson, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 54 births in 2024, compared with 62 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Emerson by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Emerson was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #668 | 269 | 5 |
| 2010s | #785 | 434 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1131 | 198 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1204 | 47 | 4 |
Geography
Where Emerson is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Emerson. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Emerson ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #711 in 2020.
Across the UK
Emerson in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#711 in 2020
2 years of NRS records, 8 total registered
Related
Names similar to Emerson
- Ethan 77,394
- Edward 53,212
- Elliot 23,450
- Elijah 22,369
- Ellis 19,358
- Elliott 16,964
- Evan 14,535
- Ezra 11,838
- Ewan 10,685
- Eli 8,126
- Elias 7,049
- Eric 6,654
FAQ
Emerson: questions and answers
How popular is the name Emerson in the UK right now?
In 2024, Emerson was ranked #678 for boys in England and Wales, with 54 births registered.
When was Emerson most popular?
The peak year on record was 2015, with 62 babies registered as Emerson in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Emerson?
Derived from an Old English surname meaning "son of Emery".
How many people are called Emerson in the UK?
A total of 948 babies have been registered as Emerson across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 8 more in Scotland.
Where is Emerson most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Emerson ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #711 in 2020. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.