Emma Thompson
There are approximately 1,175 people named Emma Thompson living in the United States today. That makes this name combination rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 291,706 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Emma with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Thompson. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
1,175
1 in 291,706
Named Emma
549K
Alive today
Named Thompson
734K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 549K
Rarity: Very Common
Gender: Female
Peak year: 2003
Average age: 20
Top Census group: White (71.7%)
Estimated bearers: 734K
Rarity: Very Common
Census rank: #23
Per 100K: 214.15
Top ancestry: White (67.1%)
First name trend
Emma: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Emma. The peak year was 2003 with 22,756 births. The average person named Emma today is 20 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Emma
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Emma, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 71.7%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Emma described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Emma at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White71.7% · 357,378
- Hispanic or Latino16.2% · 80,699
- Black or African American4.3% · 21,349
- Two or more races4.1% · 20,408
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 15,895
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2,487
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Thompson surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Thompson, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 67.1%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Thompson described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Thompson at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White67.1% · 429,753
- Black or African American22.9% · 146,892
- Two or more races4.6% · 29,433
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 22,219
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 7,240
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 4,562
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Emma has a living-bearer frequency of 0.1601% of the US population, based on 548,640 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Emma right now.
The surname Thompson appears at a rate of 214.15 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.2142%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 1,175 people with the full name Emma Thompson. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Emma
Related
Other people with the surname Thompson
FAQ
Emma Thompson: questions and answers
How many people are named Emma Thompson?
We estimate approximately 1,175 people in the United States share the full name Emma Thompson. That works out to about 1 in 291,706 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.1601%) with the surname frequency (214.15 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Emma Thompson?
We classify Emma Thompson as "Rare". About 1 in 291,706 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Emma a male or female name?
Emma is predominantly female. Out of 765,264 total SSA registrations, 0.2% were male and 99.8% were female. See the full Emma profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many people are named Emma Thompson?
For a quick modern take, check how common the name Emma Thompson is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.