Given name & surname
Emmett
“a universal man”
Emmett is used as a given name and a surname. One German interpretation is “a universal man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One German interpretation is “a universal man.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is German.
How it developed
In English usage, Emmett is a diminutive of Emma.
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. In English use, Emmett is a diminutive 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.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Emmett through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 78,872
- 78,564 boys · 308 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 3,681 babies
- 2025
- 2,973
- #121 for boys · #5,457 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −3%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 2,950 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 121 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 3.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 23 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (217). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 38,818 as a first name in 2020; 3,197 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.
Emmett’s family of names
In English usage, Emmett is a diminutive of Emma. In English usage, Emmett has a related form in Emmitt. Emmett has a related form in Emmitt.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Emmett
- Van HeflinAmerican actor (1908–1971)
- Emmett TillAfrican-American lynching victim (1941–1955)
- Emmett Toppinoathletics competitor (1909–1971)
- Emmett ChapmanAmerican musician (1936–2021)
- Emmett DaltonAmerican outlaw (1871-1937)
- Emmett J. ScanlanIrish actorborn 1979
- Emmett LeithAmerican physicist and engineer (1927–2005)
- Emmett ShearAmerican businesspersonborn 1983
- Emmett KellyAmerican clown (1898–1979)
Characters named Emmett: Emmett Cullen (Twilight), Emmett Honeycutt (Queer as Folk).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Emmett, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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