UK girl's name
Emily
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "industrious" or "eager".
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.
Emily is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Emily popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #34, with 1,170 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1999, with 6,760 births.
This profile covers 121,621 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 17% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 138,181 living people in the UK are called Emily. 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
- • Emily ranked #34 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 1,170 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1999, when 6,760 girls were registered as Emily.
- • Emily ranks best in Yorkshire and The Humber in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #5 in 2018.
- • About 138,181 living people in the UK are estimated to have Emily as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#34
2024
Births in 2024
1,170
Latest year
Peak year
1999
6,760 births
Estimated living
138,181
2026
Meaning
What does Emily mean?
The name Emily has its origins in the ancient Roman Empire. It is derived from the Latin name Aemilia, which was originally a feminine form of the family name Aemilius. The Aemilii were a prominent Roman family that traced its roots back to the founding of Rome.
The name Aemilia was likely derived from the Latin word "aemulus," meaning "rival" or "eager." This suggests that the name may have been associated with ambition, competitiveness, or a desire to excel. The name's transition from Aemilia to Emily occurred through various language shifts and translations over the centuries.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Emily can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Suetonius, who lived from around 69 to 122 AD. He documented the life of a woman named Aemilia Lepida, who was a member of the Aemilian family and lived during the 1st century AD.
During the Middle Ages, the name Emily gained popularity in various parts of Europe, particularly in England and France. One notable figure was Emily of Provence (circa 1180-1213), a French noblewoman who became the queen consort of England through her marriage to King John.
In the 13th century, Emily de Vichy (born around 1220) was a French mystic and anchoress who lived a life of religious devotion and is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.
The Renaissance period saw the rise of another prominent Emily, Emily of Nassau (1540-1582). She was a Dutch noblewoman and the daughter of William the Silent, a leading figure in the Dutch struggle for independence from Spain.
In the literary realm, Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was an American poet renowned for her unique style and profound insights. Her works, often characterized by their brevity and depth, have had a lasting impact on the world of poetry.
The name Emily has maintained its popularity throughout history and continues to be a beloved choice for parents worldwide. While its origins can be traced back to ancient Rome, the name has transcended cultural boundaries and taken on various meanings and associations over time.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Emily over time
The chart below shows babies named Emily registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, 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 Emily, the clearest high point is 1999. The latest England and Wales figure is 1,170 births in 2024, compared with 6,760 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Emily by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Emily 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 | #23 | 7,752 | 5 |
| 2010s | #5 | 35,859 | 10 |
| 2000s | #3 | 51,669 | 10 |
| 1990s | #3 | 26,341 | 4 |
Geography
Where Emily is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Emily. 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.
Emily ranks best in Yorkshire and The Humber in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #5 in 2018.
Across the UK
Emily in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#7 in 2024
51 years of NRS records, 12,931 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#5 in 2024
28 years of NISRA records, 4,453 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Emily
-
Emily Lutyens
writer
English theosophist
1874-1964
-
Emily Russell, Baroness Ampthill
courtier; aristocrat
British courtier (1843-1927)
1843-1927
Related
Names similar to Emily
- 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
- Esme 20,606
FAQ
Emily: questions and answers
How popular is the name Emily in the UK right now?
In 2024, Emily was ranked #34 for girls in England and Wales, with 1,170 births registered.
When was Emily most popular?
The peak year on record was 1999, with 6,760 babies registered as Emily in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Emily?
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "industrious" or "eager".
How many people are called Emily in the UK?
A total of 121,621 babies have been registered as Emily across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 12,931 more in Scotland and 4,453 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Emily most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Emily ranks best in Yorkshire and The Humber, where it placed #5 in 2018. 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.