NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Emme

Feminine form of French male name Emé, derived from German Emmerich meaning "prosperous ruler".

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.

Emme is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Emme popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2000, with 14 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2008, with 66 births.

This profile covers 604 England and Wales registrations across 22 recorded years from 1998 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 21% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 720 living people in the UK are called Emme. 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

  • Emme ranked #2000 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 14 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2008, when 66 girls were registered as Emme.
  • Emme ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #424 in 2019.
  • About 720 living people in the UK are estimated to have Emme as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#2000

2024

Births in 2024

14

Latest year

Peak year

2008

66 births

Estimated living

720

2026

Meaning

What does Emme mean?

The name Emme has its origins in the French and English languages. It is a shortened form of the name Emma, which itself is derived from the Germanic word "ermen" meaning "whole" or "universal". The name Emma emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 11th century, and was popular among the nobility and royalty of England and France.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Emme dates back to the 13th century. In 1235, Emme de Longchamp, a French noblewoman, was mentioned in historical records as the wife of William de Longchamp, a prominent figure during the reign of King John of England.

Emme was also a name used by several historical figures in the Byzantine Empire. In the 14th century, Emme Palaiologina was a Byzantine princess and the daughter of Emperor Michael IX Palaiologos. She was known for her intelligence and political influence during the turbulent period of the Byzantine civil wars.

In the 16th century, Emme de Bretagne was a French noblewoman and the wife of Claude of France, the Duke of Guise. She played a significant role in the French Wars of Religion, supporting the Catholic League against the Huguenots.

Another notable figure with the name Emme was Emme Spira, an Italian Jewish poet who lived in the 16th century. She was praised for her poetic talent and her mastery of Hebrew and Italian literature.

In the 19th century, Emme Bullock was an English painter and illustrator known for her portraits and landscapes. She exhibited her works at the Royal Academy and was a member of the Society of Lady Artists.

While the name Emme has been used throughout history, it has remained relatively uncommon compared to its longer form, Emma. However, it has maintained a certain charm and elegance, reflecting its historical roots in the nobility and literary circles of Europe.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Emme over time

The chart below shows babies named Emme registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1998 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 Emme, the clearest high point is 2008. The latest England and Wales figure is 14 births in 2024, compared with 66 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Emme
017335066199820112024

Decades

Emme by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Emme 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 #1545 103 5
2010s #1011 371 10
2000s #3123 127 6
1990s #3848 3 1

Geography

Where Emme is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Emme. 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.

Emme ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #424 in 2019.

Northern Ireland
3
Scotland
3

Across the UK

Emme in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#790 in 2024

16 years of NRS records, 86 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#424 in 2019

7 years of NISRA records, 33 total registered

Related

Names similar to Emme

FAQ

Emme: questions and answers

How popular is the name Emme in the UK right now?

In 2024, Emme was ranked #2000 for girls in England and Wales, with 14 births registered.

When was Emme most popular?

The peak year on record was 2008, with 66 babies registered as Emme in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Emme?

Feminine form of French male name Emé, derived from German Emmerich meaning "prosperous ruler".

How many people are called Emme in the UK?

A total of 604 babies have been registered as Emme across the 22 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 86 more in Scotland and 33 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Emme most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Emme ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #424 in 2019. 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.