Ema
A feminine given name of uncertain origin, perhaps derived from Old German meaning "industrious".
Name Census estimates that about 3,948 living Americans carry the first name Ema. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ema today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ema births was 2011 (161 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ema. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ema with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
3.9K
~ 1 in 86,817 Americans
Peak year
2011
161 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,557
Tracked since 1883
Census
Ema in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 5,578 people with the first name Ema, which placed it at #3,656 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#3,656
National first-name rank
People counted
5.6K
5,578 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
48.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ema
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ema is Hispanic at 48.7%. The next largest groups are White (37.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ema described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ema at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino48.7% · 2,715
- White37.1% · 2,069
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.1% · 396
- Two or more races3.3% · 184
- Black or African American3.1% · 174
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 40
Popularity
Ema: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ema from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,424 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ema remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ema by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ema during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Emas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 22 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Ema, while Utah, Oklahoma, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 105 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ema
The name Ema has its origins in the Hebrew language, derived from the biblical name Emma, which means "whole" or "universal." The earliest recorded use of the name Ema dates back to ancient Judaic traditions, where it was commonly used as a feminine name.
In the Old Testament, there are references to a woman named Ema, though little is known about her historical significance. The name gained popularity among Jewish communities in the Middle East and Europe, particularly during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Ema was Ema of Fulda, a 9th-century Benedictine nun and writer from the Carolingian Empire. She is notable for her contributions to the preservation of ancient texts and her work as a scribe.
In the 12th century, Ema of Lesum was a notable German mystic and abbess who founded the Benedictine convent of Lesum near Bremen. Her writings and teachings on spirituality were influential during her time.
During the Renaissance, Ema Freyse, born in 1497, was a German artist known for her intricate woodcut illustrations and engravings. Her work adorned many religious texts and publications of the era.
In the 18th century, Ema Lazowska was a Polish noblewoman and philanthropist known for her efforts in promoting education and supporting the arts. She founded several schools and cultural institutions in her home country.
Another notable figure was Ema Mikulić, a 19th-century Croatian writer and activist who advocated for women's rights and education. Her novels and essays shed light on the struggles and challenges faced by women in her society.
While the name Ema has ancient roots, it has maintained its popularity across various cultures and time periods, with many individuals bearing this name leaving their mark on history through their contributions in various fields.
People
Ema + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ema as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ema: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ema?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,948 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ema going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 86,817 US residents.
Is Ema a common name?
We classify Ema as "Rare". It ranks above 96% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,693 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ema most popular?
The single biggest year for Ema was 2011, when 161 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ema is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ema in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 5,578 people with the name Ema, or 1.85 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,656 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ema in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ema?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ema appears almost entirely female. Of the 5,577 people counted with this name, 99.1% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ema?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ema is Hispanic at 48.7%. The next largest groups are White (37.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ema most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Ema in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.7% (2,715 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ema in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ema a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ema in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ema still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ema in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ema can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Ema?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Ema on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.