Emile
Masculine · “rival”
Emile is given to both — 8,641 boys and 648 girls since 1880. See Emile as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Emile is the French form of a Roman family name, and American records hold it for daughters as well as sons — though nearly every child given it is a boy. The most famous book with this title got its author chased out of two countries.
How old is the name Emile?
Emile was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Emile alive today was born around 1939, making them about 86 years old. About 3,800 people named Emile are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Emile most popular?
Emile peaked in 1882, reaching #283 nationally. Today it ranks #2091, 1,808 places below that high. See the whole 1882 chart.
Emile appears on this list:
Where it comes from
From Aemilius to Emile
The story of Emile
Rousseau's Émile is a book about education written as the life of an imaginary boy, and it made its author a fugitive. The Paris Parlement condemned it and ordered it burned, Geneva did the same, and a warrant was issued for his arrest; he spent years moving between countries. What did the damage was not the education but a section on religion — a long profession of faith by a Savoyard curate, arguing for a natural religion of conscience without revelation, which offended the church and the philosophes at once. The book's actual advice ranges from the influential to the alarming, and Rousseau, who put his own five children into a foundling hospital, was not in a strong position to give it.
Meaningscholars disagree
rival
The Roman family name may be built on a word for rivalry or striving, or it may be Etruscan and unrecoverable like a good many Roman gens names. The eager reading often given for it is a guess rather than a derivation.
How the name formed
- Aemilius
- Émile
Related forms: Émile · Emil · Emilio
Pronouncing Emile
ay-MEEL
Two syllables with the stress at the back, which is the French reading. American families often say EE-myle or eh-MEEL, and all three are heard.
Nicknames for Emile
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 1921165 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #283reached in 1882
- Change vs 2022
- −2.8%70 in 2025, from 72
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Emile in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Émile in French — same name
- Emil in English — same name
- Emilio in Spanish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Louisiana. International figures from Statistics Canada. Sources
Emiles among us
people named Emile are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 24,401 born in 2025 was named Emile
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Emile sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Emile is headed
Emile should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Emile beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Emile in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It is a standing French name rather than an invented spelling.
- Back stress gives a two-syllable name a firm landing.
- It works in French and English households without adjustment.
- Emil, Emilio and Emily will all be written for it.
- The French and American readings differ in both vowels.
- The record holds this spelling for daughters as well, though almost never.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Emile to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Emile? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Emile
Masculine · #2091 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Emiles are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 3,800 people named Emile are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Emile in 2025?
- Emile ranks #2091 among US boy names in 2025, with 70 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Emile?
- About 1 in every 24,401 US boys born in 2025 was named Emile — 70 in all.
- Will my child share the name Emile with classmates?
- Emile will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Emile
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Ziaire#2091 · Mykel#2091 · Knoxx#2091 · Omer#2091 · Ahron#2091 · Brenton#2091 · Crawford#2091 · Stiles#2091
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Emile? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Emile and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration; international figures from national statistics agencies. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle