Thirty years of Emma
Emma in numbers
Emma peaked in 1996 with 4,232 girls and has fallen since, to 536 in 2025. Its biggest three-year fall came between 1997 and 2000, from 4,126 to 2,574. It ranked 14th in 1996, reached 13th in 1997 and ranks 85th now. On average it was given to 3,711 girls a year in the late 1990s, 2,131 in the 2000s, 1,086 in the 2010s and 713 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year-20%666 to 536
- 5 years-34%816 to 536
- 10 years-47%1,017 to 536
- 20 years-75%2,144 to 536
- Since 1996-87%4,232 to 536
- Total, 1996 to 202551,284girls
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 85 · ONS · 666 in 2024
Rank 94 · NRS · 76 in 2024
Rank 77 · NISRA · 25 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 85 | 536 | -20% | 1 in 531 |
| 2024 | =69 | 666 | +2% | 1 in 435 |
| 2023 | 71 | 654 | -12% | 1 in 440 |
| 2022 | 68 | 747 | -13% | 1 in 395 |
| 2021 | 61 | 860 | +5% | 1 in 354 |
| 2020 | 60 | 816 | -9% | 1 in 367 |
| 2019 | 59 | 900 | -6% | 1 in 346 |
| 2018 | =56 | 957 | -8% | 1 in 334 |
| 2017 | 52 | 1,042 | -4% | 1 in 318 |
| 2016 | 53 | 1,080 | +6% | 1 in 314 |
| 2015 | =60 | 1,017 | -5% | 1 in 334 |
| 2014 | 57 | 1,071 | +2% | 1 in 316 |
| 2013 * | 55 | 1,045 | -9% | 1 in 327 |
| 2012 | 50 | 1,149 | -6% | 1 in 309 |
| 2011 | 49 | 1,221 | -11% | 1 in 289 |
| 2010 | 48 | 1,373 | -7% | 1 in 257 |
| 2009 | 41 | 1,477 | -15% | 1 in 233 |
| 2008 | 31 | 1,744 | -6% | 1 in 198 |
| 2007 | 29 | 1,854 | -7% | 1 in 181 |
| 2006 | 27 | 1,989 | -7% | 1 in 164 |
| 2005 | 23 | 2,144 | -19% | 1 in 147 |
| 2004 | 20 | 2,638 | -3% | 1 in 118 |
| 2003 | 19 | 2,711 | +42% | 1 in 112 |
| 2002 | 27 | 1,903 | -16% | 1 in 152 |
| 2001 | 20 | 2,273 | -12% | 1 in 128 |
| 2000 | 17 | 2,574 | -12% | 1 in 115 |
| 1999 | 17 | 2,920 | -18% | 1 in 104 |
| 1998 | 15 | 3,565 | -14% | n/a |
| 1997 | 13 | 4,126 | -3% | 1 in 76 |
| 1996 | 14 | 4,232 | 1 in 75 |
* ONS’s girls’ 2013 file repeats the May total as April, so the 2013 births total is about 1,360 too high and 1 in X for 2013 is slightly too high. 1 in X is not shown for girls in 1998: one monthly total is missing from the ONS girls’ 1998 file. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Emma
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Emma is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate
Emma is in our lists: Short baby names.