Given name & surname
Em
“rival”
In English use, Em is a diminutive of Emily. The Roman family name behind Emily is probably connected with the Latin word for “rival,” although that derivation is uncertain. Em is a variant of Emma. Emma’s shared Germanic element carries the sense “entire” or “whole.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Em is a diminutive of Emily. The Roman family name behind Emily is probably connected with the Latin word for “rival,” although that derivation is uncertain. Em is a variant of Emma. Emma’s shared Germanic element carries the sense “entire” or “whole.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Em is a diminutive of Emily. Emily is an English development of the Latin feminine name Aemilia. Em is a variant of Emma. Emma has Germanic roots and a long association with Norman naming traditions in Britain. In English use, Em is a diminutive of Emmeline. An origin associated with Emmeline is Germanic.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Em is a diminutive of Emma. In English usage, Em is a diminutive of Emmeline. In English use, Em is a diminutive of Emily. The shared background comes through Emily: Aemilia is the feminine form of Aemilius. Emily developed through a medieval version of that name; the proposed root is aemulus, “rival.” Em is a variant of Emma. The shared background comes through Emma: Emma was shortened from names containing the element erm(en) or irm(en), such as Ermintrude and Irmgard. Emma’s later use as a pet form of Emily is a separate naming practice, not the explanation of its older origin.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
In English use, Em is a diminutive of Emily. The history of Emily gives this family its wider story. Emily was relatively uncommon in the Middle Ages and was revived in the nineteenth century. At that time, Emilia and the separately rooted Amelia were often confused, helping explain their overlapping naming histories. Em is a variant of Emma. The history of Emma gives this family its wider story. Emma was the name of the mother of Edward the Confessor. That early royal association places it within Britain’s medieval naming history, alongside the wider influence of Norman names.
Explained through its name family
Em’s family of names
In English usage, Em is a diminutive of Emily. Em has a related form in Emma. In English usage, Em is a diminutive of Emma.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Em
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Em, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Egburt
“one who wields a brilliant sword”
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Estreed
“one with divine strength”
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Estrik
“one with divine strength”
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Estrid
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Egburte
“one who wields a brilliant sword”
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Uileam
“the detewmined protector”
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Imah
“one who is complete; a universal woman”
14% boys · 86% girls