Given name & surname
Emel
“a kind and caring woman”
Emel is a variant of Emelle. One American interpretation is “a kind and caring woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Emel is a variant of Emelle. One American interpretation is “a kind and caring woman.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Emel is a variant of Emelle. An origin associated with Emelle is American.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1921. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Emel through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 27
- 6 boys · 21 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 6 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 6 in 2014. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 489 as a first name in 2020; 632 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
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 Emel
- Emel MathlouthiTunisian singer and songwriterborn 1982
- Emel DereliTurkish athletics competitor (born 1996)
- Emel EminCrimean Tatar poetborn 1938
- Emel Etem ToshkovaBulgarian politicianborn 1958
- Emel SayınTurkish actor and singer (born 1945)
- Emel KorutürkTurkish painter (1915–2013)
- Emel HeinreichTurkish-Austrian actress, author and film-directorborn 1962
- Emel AykanatSwiss singer (1975-)
- Emel SayTurkish artist (1927–2011)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Emel, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ethel
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>99% girls
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“one who is playful; resembling a precious gem”
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4% boys · 96% girls
Erma
“one who is complete; universal”
>99% girls
Enid
“one who gives life”
>99% girls
Ellouise
>99% girls
Jewel
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Eveline
“a birdlike woman” · “a birdlike man”
>99% girls