Emmit
Masculine · “little Emma”
Emmit is a spelling of Emmett, and Emmett has an unusual history: it is a surname made from a woman's name — Emma, given a diminutive ending in medieval England and then passed to her descendants.
How old is the name Emmit?
Emmit first appears in US birth records in 1882 — 143 years ago. The typical Emmit alive today was born around 1958, making them about 67 years old. About 2,500 people named Emmit are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Emmit most popular?
Emmit peaked in 1886, reaching #470 nationally. Today it ranks #3314, 2,844 places below that high. See the whole 1886 chart.
Where it comes from
From Emma to Emmit
The story of Emmit
Medieval England made surnames from mothers' names as well as fathers', and Emmot, the pet form of Emma, produced Emmett, Emmott and Empson. That is a small but genuine piece of social history: a family known by a woman. The surname reached America early and became a given name in the nineteenth century, particularly in Irish-American families, where it also honored a well-known Irish patriot of that surname.
Meaningscholars disagree
little Emma
The usual reading takes Emmett from Emmot, a medieval English pet form of Emma, which is Germanic and generally read as whole or universal. A second line derives it from a Hebrew name Emmet, truth, though that connection is much less securely founded.
How the name formed
- Emma
- Emmot
- Emmett
- Emmit
Related forms: Emmett · Emma
Pronouncing Emmit
EM-it
Two syllables, first stressed. Emmit and Emmett sound the same.
Nicknames for Emmit
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
- 1882
- Most boys named
- 2014120 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #470reached in 1886
- Change vs 2022
- −40.7%35 in 2025, from 59
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.
Emmit in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Emmett in English — spelling variant
- Emma in German — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Wisconsin, Minnesota.
Emmits among us
people named Emmit are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 48,802 born in 2025 was named Emmit
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Spellings of Emmit
- #3314
- Emmit on the 2025 chart
- #584
- counting every spelling
The SSA counts spellings, not names. Emmit went to 35 boys in 2025, but Emmitt and Emitt are the same name said out loud. Together the 3 spellings went to 376, which makes it the 584th most-given boys’ name of the year — 2,730 places above the chart.
About 1 boy in 4,543 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 48,802 for Emmit itself.
Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Emmit 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 Emmit is headed
Emmit is easing off slowly — about 34% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues.
Medium 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.
Emmit beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Emmit in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented meaning with a genuinely interesting piece of social history behind it.
- Read correctly on sight by every English speaker.
- Real nineteenth-century American use, so it is a revival rather than an invention.
- Emmett is the standard spelling and will be written for him constantly.
- Emmit, Emmett and Emmitt are all in use and none but the middle one is standard.
- The name descends from a woman's name, which he may or may not enjoy discovering.
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What they receive
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Emmit
Masculine · #3314 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Emmits are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,500 people named Emmit are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How do you spell Emmit?
- Emmit is one of 3 recorded spellings. Emmitt is the more common one — 333 births in 2025 against 35 for Emmit.
- How popular is the name Emmit in 2025?
- Emmit ranks #3314 among US boy names in 2025, with 35 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Emmit?
- About 1 in every 48,802 US boys born in 2025 was named Emmit — 35 in all.
- Will my child share the name Emmit with classmates?
- Emmit will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Emmit
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Rainier#3314 · Coulter#3314 · Caio#3314 · Kaydon#3314 · Daksh#3314 · Kree#3314 · Calen#3314 · Mathis#3314
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Emmit? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Emmit and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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