UK girl's name
Emili
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "industrious, striving".
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.
Emili is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Emili popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2253, with 12 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2016, with 15 births.
This profile covers 149 England and Wales registrations across 21 recorded years from 2003 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 80% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 154 living people in the UK are called Emili. 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
- • Emili ranked #2253 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 12 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2016, when 15 girls were registered as Emili.
- • Emili ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #802 in 2014.
- • About 154 living people in the UK are estimated to have Emili as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2253
2024
Births in 2024
12
Latest year
Peak year
2016
15 births
Estimated living
154
2026
Meaning
What does Emili mean?
The name Emili has its origins in the Latin language, derived from the Roman family name Aemilius. The Aemilii were an ancient patrician family in Rome, tracing their roots back to the founding of the city. The name is believed to have originated from the Latin word "aemulus," meaning "rival" or "striving."
In ancient Rome, the Aemilii family produced several notable figures, including the military leader Lucius Aemilius Paullus, who defeated the Macedonian King Perseus in 168 BCE. Another prominent member was the philosopher and poet Quintus Aemilius, who lived during the 1st century BCE.
The name Emili gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in regions influenced by Latin culture and the Roman Catholic Church. It was often used as a feminine form of the male name Aemilius or Emilius.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Emili can be found in the 12th century. Emili de Lauzon was a French noblewoman and the wife of Hugues de Lauzon, a prominent figure in the Crusades.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Emili. In the 16th century, Emili Giudice was an Italian composer and lutenist known for her musical contributions during the Renaissance period (1500-1568).
In the 18th century, Emili Plater was a Polish-Lithuanian noble and military leader who played a significant role in the Kościuszko Uprising against Imperial Russia (1776-1831).
During the 19th century, Emili Rathou was a French artist and painter renowned for her portraits and landscapes (1808-1890).
In the 20th century, Emili Ardolino was an American choreographer and film director best known for her work on movies like "Dirty Dancing" and "Three Men and a Little Lady" (1942-1993).
Another notable figure was Emili Ntamatungiro, a Burundian politician and activist who fought for women's rights and democracy in her country (1912-2008).
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Emili over time
The chart below shows babies named Emili registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2003 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 Emili, the clearest high point is 2016. The latest England and Wales figure is 12 births in 2024, compared with 15 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Emili by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Emili 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 | #4380 | 29 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2932 | 91 | 10 |
| 2000s | #3845 | 29 | 6 |
Geography
Where Emili is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Emili. 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.
Emili ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #802 in 2014.
Across the UK
Emili in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#802 in 2014
2 years of NRS records, 6 total registered
Related
Names similar to Emili
- Emily 121,621
- Ella 69,101
- Ellie 63,522
- Evie 52,944
- Emma 50,755
- Eleanor 40,576
- Elizabeth 39,225
- Erin 34,816
- Eva 29,738
- Evelyn 26,911
- Elsie 23,671
- Emilia 22,167
FAQ
Emili: questions and answers
How popular is the name Emili in the UK right now?
In 2024, Emili was ranked #2253 for girls in England and Wales, with 12 births registered.
When was Emili most popular?
The peak year on record was 2016, with 15 babies registered as Emili in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Emili?
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "industrious, striving".
How many people are called Emili in the UK?
A total of 149 babies have been registered as Emili across the 21 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 6 more in Scotland.
Where is Emili most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Emili ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #802 in 2014. 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.