Given name & surname
Emile
“one who is eager; an industrious man”
In English use, Emile has a related form in Emil. One Latin interpretation is “one who is eager; an industrious man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Emile has a related form in Emil. One Latin interpretation is “one who is eager; an industrious man.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Emile has a related form in Emil. An origin associated with Emil is Latin.
Explained through its name family
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
Emile through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 9,289
- 8,641 boys · 648 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 171 babies
- 2025
- 70
- #2,098 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +14%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 99% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 70 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,098 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 16.1% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 167 in 1922. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (14). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,190 as a first name in 2020; 1,341 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.
Emile’s family of names
Emile shares a linguistic root with Emil. In Walloon usage, Emile has a related form in MILE. In English usage, Emile has a related form in Emil.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Emile has relatives in 5 languages.
5 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 11
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Emilioequivalent
- Emielequivalent
- Amileequivalent
- Aemiliusequivalent
- Eemilequivalent
- Emīlsequivalent
- Емельянequivalent
- Yemelyanequivalent
Show 3 moreShow fewer
People named Emile
- Emile HeskeyEnglish association football playerborn 1978
- Emile BerlinerGerman-born American inventor (1851–1929)
- Emile HirschAmerican actor (born 1985)
- Emile Smith RoweEnglish association football playerborn 2000
- Emil du Bois-ReymondGerman physician and physiologist (1818–1896)
- Emile HabibiPalestinian-Arab-Israeli writer and politician (1922-1996)
- Emile GriffithAmerican boxer (1938–2013)
- Emile RoemerDutch politician of the Socialist Partyborn 1962
- Emile ArdolinoU.S. American film director, choreographer, and producer (1943-1993)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Emile, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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