Kathryn vs Emily
How Kathryn and Emily compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Kathryn (girls) vs Emily (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 | Kathryn | Emily |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 1952 — 8,504 girls | 1999 — 26,542 girls |
| Peak rank | #48 | #1 |
| Most recent rank (2025) | #729 (381 births) | #34 (5,451 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 410,991 | 807,425 |
| Last 10 years (2016–2025) | 5,675 | 75,367 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Emily reached 26,542 US births in 1999 — 18,038 more than Kathryn'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 | Kathryn births | Emily births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1882 | Kathryn | 272 | 272 |
| 1883 | Emily | 290 | 342 |
| 1886 | Kathryn | 383 | 369 |
| 1888 | Emily | 446 | 457 |
| 1891 | Kathryn | 504 | 444 |
| 1894 | Emily | 520 | 551 |
| 1896 | Kathryn | 625 | 527 |
| 1897 | Emily | 570 | 619 |
| 1898 | Kathryn | 671 | 628 |
| 1973 | Emily | 0 | 3,027 |
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.
Kathryn — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | #256 | 22 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | #299 | 361 |
| 3 | Idaho | #304 | 36 |
| 4 | South Carolina | #333 | 138 |
| 5 | Alabama | #354 | 149 |
Emily — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | #10 | 12,185 |
| 2 | New Jersey | #13 | 2,319 |
| 3 | Florida | #13 | 4,899 |
| 4 | Texas | #14 | 8,237 |
| 5 | New York | #15 | 4,529 |
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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 →