NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Emmet

Emmet is an English name derived from the Old French amez, meaning "brave" or "hard worker".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Emmet is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Emmet popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4107, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 14 births.

This profile covers 121 England and Wales registrations across 20 recorded years from 1996 to 2023. The figures come from ONS England and Wales 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 29% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 328 living people in the UK are called Emmet. 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 2024 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Emmet ranked #4107 for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with 4 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2015, when 14 boys were registered as Emmet.
  • Emmet ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #414 in 2022.
  • About 328 living people in the UK are estimated to have Emmet as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4107

2023

Births in 2023

4

Latest year

Peak year

2015

14 births

Estimated living

328

2026

Meaning

What does Emmet mean?

The name Emmet has its origins in the Old English language, derived from the word "ama" meaning "labor" or "work." It emerged during the early medieval period, around the 7th to 10th centuries, and was likely used as a descriptive name for someone involved in strenuous or physical labor.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Emmet can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of a great survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book mentions an individual named "Emmet" who held lands in Gloucestershire, England.

In the 12th century, an English clergyman named Emmet served as a canon of the Diocese of Lincoln. His name is recorded in various ecclesiastical documents from that era, indicating the continued use of the name during the Middle Ages.

During the 13th century, a notable figure named Emmet de Rydal lived in the Lake District of England. He was a prominent landowner and is mentioned in several historical records related to property transactions and legal disputes of the time.

In the 16th century, a Dutch philosopher and theologian named Emmet van Veldhuizen gained recognition for his writings on Christian humanism. He was born in 1525 and died in 1592, leaving behind a significant body of work that influenced religious thought during the Reformation.

Another historically significant individual with the name Emmet was Emmet Dalton, an American outlaw and member of the infamous Dalton Gang. He was born in 1871 and participated in several high-profile train robberies in the late 19th century before being killed in a shootout with law enforcement in 1892.

Throughout history, the name Emmet has been used across various cultures and regions, though its origins can be traced back to the early English language and its connection to labor and physical work. While not as common as some other names, it has been carried by notable figures in fields ranging from religion and philosophy to outlawry and crime.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Emmet over time

The chart below shows babies named Emmet registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Emmet, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2023, compared with 14 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Emmet
0471114199620092023

Decades

Emmet by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Emmet 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 #3355 22 4
2010s #2648 63 8
2000s #3478 15 4
1990s #2091 21 4

Geography

Where Emmet is most common

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

Emmet ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #414 in 2022.

Northern Ireland
3

Across the UK

Emmet in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#414 in 2022

25 years of NISRA records, 210 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Emmet

  • Emmet Wan

    association football player

    Hong Kong footballer

    1992-

  • Emmet Friars

    association football player

    Northern Irish footballer (born 1985)

    1985-

  • Emmet McLoughlin

    association football player

    Irish footballer

    1922-1988

  • Emmet McDonough-Brown

    politician

    Northern Irish election candidate

  • Emmet Crossan

    politician

    Northern Irish election candidate

Related

Names similar to Emmet

FAQ

Emmet: questions and answers

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

In 2023, Emmet was ranked #4107 for boys in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.

When was Emmet most popular?

The peak year on record was 2015, with 14 babies registered as Emmet in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Emmet?

Emmet is an English name derived from the Old French amez, meaning "brave" or "hard worker".

How many people are called Emmet in the UK?

A total of 121 babies have been registered as Emmet across the 20 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here and 210 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Emmet most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Emmet ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #414 in 2022. 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.