boys' name ★ peaked 1917

Emil

Meaning rival Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,269 Trend ↑ Rising 19%

From German Emil, from Latin Aemilius, a Roman family name possibly from aemulus (“rival”).

Rank 2025
#1,269
among boys · ↓24 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
155
named Emil · -3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 11,020
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1917
1,012 babies
All-time total
33,230
#645 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Emil popularity over time

33,230 babies have been named Emil since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 1,434 1,434 143 – #90
1890s 5 1,438 1,443 144 +1% #101
1900s – 1,319 1,319 132 -9% #136
1910s 34 6,701 6,735 674 +411% #137
1920s 68 7,170 7,238 724 +7% #167
1930s 22 3,518 3,540 354 -51% #246
1940s – 2,498 2,498 250 -29% #334
1950s – 1,861 1,861 186 -26% #463
1960s 5 1,266 1,271 127 -32% #616
1970s – 963 963 96 -24% #741
1980s – 810 810 81 -16% #890
1990s – 837 837 84 +3% #1,078
2000s – 1,047 1,047 105 +25% #1,223
2010s – 1,241 1,241 124 +19% #1,227
2020s (to 2025) – 993 993 166 +33% #1,126

Where Emil is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 160 0.09 outside top 500
2027 164 0.10 outside top 500
2028 167 0.10 outside top 500
2029 170 0.10 outside top 500
2030 173 0.10 outside top 500

Where Emil is most popular

Boys named Emil per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.097 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and New York.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Emil born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
District of Columbia 5 0.339 +248%
Massachusetts 44 0.320 +229%
New York 105 0.243 +149%
Pennsylvania 55 0.207 +113%
New Jersey 37 0.184 +89%
Washington 28 0.171 +76%
Illinois 34 0.133 +37%
California 114 0.125 +28%
Florida 53 0.112 +15%
Oregon 7 0.092 -5%
Colorado 11 0.085 -12%
Texas 56 0.064 -35%
North Carolina 14 0.055 -44%
Maryland 5 0.042 -57%
Michigan 6 0.029 -70%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Emil

Emil is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,269 in 2025 with 155 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 33,230 American babies have been named Emil. Its peak came in 1917, when 1,012 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Emil stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Emil?

The median living Emil is about 48 years old; half are between 18 and 71. An estimated 10 thousand people named Emil are alive in the United States today.

median 48 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Emil year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 155 #1,269
2024 – – 159 #1,245
2023 – – 187 #1,131
2022 – – 188 #1,126
2021 – – 152 #1,258
2020 – – 152 #1,235
2019 – – 155 #1,227
2018 – – 129 #1,369
2017 – – 144 #1,267
2016 – – 125 #1,405
2015 – – 127 #1,371
2014 – – 120 #1,403
2013 – – 115 #1,437
2012 – – 114 #1,449
2011 – – 106 #1,512
2010 – – 106 #1,528
2009 – – 147 #1,223
2008 – – 134 #1,296
2007 – – 113 #1,435
2006 – – 101 #1,502
2005 – – 92 #1,538
2004 – – 79 #1,635
2003 – – 86 #1,501
2002 – – 97 #1,362
2001 – – 109 #1,223
2000 – – 89 #1,403
1995 – – 90 #1,223
1990 – – 82 #1,208
1985 – – 79 #1,035
1980 – – 89 #955
1975 – – 98 #838
1970 – – 124 #741
1965 – – 146 #628
1960 5 #6,644 161 #616
1955 – – 179 #551
1950 – – 207 #463
1945 – – 223 #403
1940 – – 263 #349
1935 5 #4,405 320 #304
1930 5 #4,753 509 #246
1925 8 #3,784 722 #191
1920 7 #4,109 835 #167
1915 8 #3,218 918 #138
1910 – – 194 #161
1905 – – 122 #164
1900 – – 127 #165
1895 – – 136 #122
1890 – – 165 #101
1885 – – 138 #105
1880 – – 119 #113

Famous people named Emil

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Emil Cioran Emil Cioran Romanian philosopher, aphorist and essayist (1911–1995) Contemporary
  2. 2 Emil Maurice Emil Maurice Hitler's first personal chauffeur (1897–1972) 19th century
  3. 3 Emil Jannings Emil Jannings German actor (1884–1950) 19th century
  4. 4 Emil Zátopek Emil Zátopek Czechoslovak long-distance runner (1922–2000) Contemporary
  5. 5 Emil Hácha Emil Hácha Czechoslovak politician (1872–1945) 19th century
  6. 6 Emil Nolde Emil Nolde German painter 1867–1956 · 19th century
  7. 7 Emil Constantinescu Emil Constantinescu President of Romania from 1996 to 2000 b. 1939 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Emil Kraepelin Emil Kraepelin German psychiatrist (1856–1926) 19th century
  9. 9 Emil Jellinek Emil Jellinek German automobile entrepreneur (1853–1918) 19th century
  10. 10 Emil von Behring Emil von Behring German physiologist (1854–1917) 19th century
  11. 11 Emil Gilels Emil Gilels Soviet pianist (1916–1985) Contemporary
  12. 12 Emil Artin Emil Artin Austrian mathematician (1898–1962) 19th century
  13. 13 Emil Fischer Emil Fischer German chemist (1852–1919) 19th century
  14. 14 Emil Racoviță Emil Racoviță Romanian polar explorer 1868–1947 · 19th century
  15. 15 Emil Theodor Kocher Emil Theodor Kocher Swiss physician and Nobel laureate (1841–1917) 19th century
  16. 16 Emil Ludwig Emil Ludwig German-Swiss author (1881–1948) 19th century
  17. 17 Emil Rathenau Emil Rathenau German businessman 1838–1915 · 19th century
  18. 18 Emil Krebs Emil Krebs German hyperpolyglot and sinologist 1867–1930 · 19th century
  19. 19 Emil Erlenmeyer Emil Erlenmeyer German chemist (1825–1909) 19th century
  20. 20 Emil du Bois-Reymond Emil du Bois-Reymond German physician and physiologist (1818–1896) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Emil, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Emil?

The median living Emil is about 48 years old. Half of all living Emils are between 18 and 71 years old.

How many people named Emil are alive today?

An estimated 10 thousand people named Emil are alive in the United States, based on 33,230 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Emil mean?

From German Emil, from Latin Aemilius, a Roman family name possibly from aemulus (“rival”).

How popular is the name Emil in 2025?

Emil ranked #1,269 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 155 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Emil?

33,230 babies have been named Emil in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Emil most popular?

Emil peaked in 1917, when 1,012 newborns received the name.

Is Emil a boy or girl name?

Emil is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Emil rising or falling?

Emil is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Emil become more popular?

Emil is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 173 boys named Emil in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Emil?

Well-known people named Emil include Emil Cioran (philosopher), Emil Maurice (politician), Emil Jannings (actor).

Names like Emil

Names that sound and feel close to Emil: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Emil with similar names → More names starting with E →