Suzanne vs Emma
How Suzanne 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.
Suzanne
Female · German
Meaning: Lily Variant Of Hebrew Susannah. In The Apocryphal Book Of Tobit Susannah Courageously Defended Herself Against Wrongful Accusation. White Lilies Grew In The Biblical City Of Susa In Persia.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Suzanne (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 | Suzanne | Emma |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 1962 — 6,852 girls | 2003 — 22,719 girls |
| Peak rank | #65 | #2 |
| Most recent rank (1973) | #98 (3,036 births) | #3 (12,754 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 151,847 | 713,779 |
| Last 10 years (1964–1973) | 48,205 | 161,030 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Emma reached 22,719 US births in 2003 — 15,867 more than Suzanne'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 | Suzanne births | Emma births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Suzanne | 2,611 | 2,546 |
| 1993 | Emma | 0 | 4,108 |
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.
Suzanne — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pennsylvania | #927 | 41 |
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 →