Emily is a female given name of English origin. It was first used as a given name in the 17th century and became popular during the Victorian era. The name Emily is derived from the Latin feminine name Aemilia, which means "rival" or "to Excel". This name has been associated with several notable figures throughout history, such as the English poet Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) and the American actress Emily Blunt (born 1982). Today, Emily remains a popular choice for parents naming their daughters.
Based on the provided statistics, we can observe the popularity of the name Emily in the United States from 1880 to 2023.
From 1880 to around 1968, the number of births with the name Emily fluctuated between approximately 300 to 1500 per year. However, starting in 1969, there was a significant increase in popularity for the name Emily. In 1972, the number of births reached over 2000, and it continued to rise throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The peak popularity of the name Emily occurred between 1981 and 1985, with more than 13,000 births per year. This high level of popularity persisted until around 1994, after which it began to decline gradually but steadily.
By 2006, the number of annual births named Emily had fallen below 20,000 for the first time since the mid-1980s. Since then, the popularity has continued to decrease, reaching its lowest point in recent years with around 6000 births in 2022 and 2023.
Over the entire period from 1880 to 2023, a total of 884,942 babies were named Emily at birth in the United States. This data demonstrates the changing trends in naming practices over more than a century, with Emily being one of the most popular girls' names during certain periods.