Heather vs Emma
How Heather and Emma compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
Heather
Female · English
Meaning: A Flowering Evergreen Plant That Thrives On Peaty Barren Lands As In Scotland. Heather
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Heather (girls) vs Emma (girls), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Heather | Emma |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 1975 — 24,302 girls | 2003 — 22,719 girls |
| Peak rank | #3 | #2 |
| Most recent rank (2016) | #977 (274 births) | #3 (12,754 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 500,311 | 713,779 |
| Last 10 years (2007–2016) | 4,352 | 161,030 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Heather reached 24,302 US births in 1975 — 1,583 more than Emma's peak count.
Crossover Years
Years where one name first passed the other in annual US births. A name "winning" in a year means it had more births that year, not necessarily a higher rank.
| Year | New leader | Heather births | Emma births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Heather | 3,904 | 0 |
| 1996 | Emma | 4,759 | 6,150 |
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's girls-name list.
Heather — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma | #625 | 20 |
| 2 | Utah | #761 | 15 |
| 3 | Missouri | #833 | 38 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | #838 | 17 |
| 5 | Virginia | #840 | 34 |
Emma — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | #1 | 17,678 |
| 2 | New York | #2 | 8,974 |
| 3 | New Jersey | #2 | 4,400 |
| 4 | Arizona | #2 | 3,425 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | #2 | 5,543 |
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Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →