Given name & surname
Emery
“the work ruler; the strength of home”
Emery is used as a given name and a surname. One German interpretation is “the work ruler; the strength of home.”
Original GermanEmmerich
Meaning & origin
What it means
One German interpretation is “the work ruler; the strength of home.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is German.
How it developed
From Proto-Germanic *amal (“vigor, bravery”), from Old High German rīhhi (“ruler”), from Old High German Heimrich.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Emery through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 64,249
- 20,412 boys · 43,837 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 3,513 babies
- 2025
- 3,513
- #74 for girls · #815 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +8%
- Steady
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 10% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 3,208 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 74 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 9.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 305 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (423). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 33,516 as a first name in 2020; 24,499 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.
Emery’s family of names
In English usage, Emery shares a linguistic root with the French form Émeric. Emery has a related form in Emory. In English usage, Emery has a related form in Amory.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Emery has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its German roots to each of them.
Germanwhere Emery comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 28
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Emoryvariant · English
- Emerievariant
- Emerivariant
- Emorivariant
- Emorievariant
- Emmeryvariant
- Ameryvariant · English
- Emmerievariant
Show 20 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Emery
- Emery LehmanAmerican speed skaterborn 1996
- Emery RothAmerican architect (1871–1948)
- Emery MolyneuxEnglish globemaker (died 1598)1600–1598
- Emery d'AmboiseGrand Master of the Knights Hospitaller1434–1512
- Emery WelshmanGuyanese footballerborn 1991
- Emery Clarence LeonardAmerican botanist (1892-1968)
- Emery Kabongo KanundowiCongolese theologian and catholic priestborn 1940
- Emery WalkerEnglish printer (1851-1933)
- Emery J. San SouciAmerican politician (1857-1936)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Emery, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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