The story behind Emma
Brought to England by the Normans; short form of compound given names beginning with a Frankish prototheme Ermin- or Irmin- "entire", from Proto-Germanic *ermunaz.
Other language forms and explanations (2)
Finnish entry
From German Emma, later also as a diminutive of Emilia.
Tagalog entry
Borrowed from English Emma.
Pronunciation
English; dialect unspecified: /ˈɛmə/
Regional pronunciation variants
- Finnish: /ˈemːɑ/
- Finnish: [ˈe̞mːɑ̝]
- Tagalog; Standard-Tagalog: /ˈʔema/
- Tagalog; Standard-Tagalog: [ˈʔɛː.mɐ]
Popularity
Emma ranked #3 in US for 2025.
Source: SSA national baby names
Names Similar to Emma
Edna
From Hebrew עֶדְנָה (“pleasure; delight”); a variant of Eden in the Book of Tobit. In Ireland and Scotland it has been used as an anglicization of Eithne. a female given name…
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Eila
Possibly a variant of Norwegian Eili, a rare form of Eli (“Helen”), or from English Eileen. Popularized by the novel Tuskaa (1907) by Väinö Kataja.
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Elma
From the 19th century. Likely from English Elma, Danish Elma or Italian Elma.
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Elsa
From German Elsa, contraction of Elisabeth, occasionally used in English after its appearance in Wagner's opera Lohengrin (1847). From Swedish Elsa, short for Elisabet and its…
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Ema
Derived from German Emma.
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Erma
A female given name from the Germanic languages, of rare usage, variant of Irma.
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends A
- same syllable count
- similar length
Middle Names for Emma
Bo
Either borrowed from modern Danish Bo or Swedish Bo, or a spelling variant of the male given name Beau. From Old Norse Búi (“dweller, long-time resident”), originally a…
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 1 syllable
- Ending
- ends O
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Guy
From Old French Gui, from a Frankish form of Proto-West Germanic *Widō (compare Old Dutch Wido), a short form of names beginning with the element *widu (“wood”), from…
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 1 syllable
- Ending
- ends Y
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Ian
Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic Eòin. Unadapted borrowing from English Ian. Doublet of João, Ivan, Jean, Ruan, and Geovane. Borrowed from English Ian, from Scottish Gaelic…
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends N
- balanced syllable contrast
- good length contrast
Sibling Names for Emma
Adel
Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *aþalaz. The female name is a rare variant of Adele. The surname is borrowed from German Adel. Variant of Adil, from Arabic عَادِل (ʕādil).
- Gender
- mixed
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends L
- compatible short style
- shared origin connection
Alan
From Old Breton Alan, name of early Breton saints, of disputed origin and meaning; brought to England by Normans. It may have been the name of a Celtic deity, the brother of…
- Gender
- masculine
- Syllables
- 2 syllables
- Ending
- ends N
- compatible short style
- shared origin connection
Ann
From Late Latin Anna chiefly in reference to St Anne the apocryphal mother of Mary mother of Jesus but appearing in the Vulgate in reference to Anna the Prophetess, from Koine…
- Gender
- feminine
- Syllables
- 1 syllable
- Ending
- ends N
- compatible short style
- shared origin connection