Given name
Emilee
“rival”
In English use, Emilee has a related form in Emily. The Roman family name behind Emily is probably connected with the Latin word for “rival,” although that derivation is uncertain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Emilee has a related form in Emily. The Roman family name behind Emily is probably connected with the Latin word for “rival,” although that derivation is uncertain.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Emilee has a related form in Emily. Emily is an English development of the Latin feminine name Aemilia.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English use, Emilee has a related form in 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.”
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1916. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Emilee has a related form in 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.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Emilee through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 24,027
- 8 boys · 24,019 girls
- Most popular year
- 2004
- 1,025 babies
- 2025
- 106
- #1,867 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −56%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 106 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,867 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 55.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 1,019 in 2003. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (12). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 20,367 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Emilee’s family of names
In English usage, Emilee has a diminutive in Em. In English usage, Emilee has a related form in Emily.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
See also 4
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Emilee
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Emilee, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Estrella
“star of the sea” · “resembling a star”
>99% girls
Emely
“rival”
>99% girls
Elisabeth
“God is my oath”
>99% girls
Annika
“a woman graced with God's favor”
>99% girls
Kylee
“from the narrow channel”
1% boys · 99% girls
Arely
“a messenger from heaven; an angel” · “golden-haired woman”
>99% girls
Amelie
“one who is industrious and hardworking”
>99% girls
Abby
“father of exaltation” · “the source of a father”
>99% girls