Emory
- Pronunciation
- [Eh-mo-ree]
- Gender
- Male
- Meaning
- Joint Ruler
- Origin
- German
About the Name Emory
Emory is a name of Germanic origin, a variant of Emery built from the old elements meaning "home" or "whole" and "power" — often glossed together as "brave ruler" or "joint ruler." Long established as both a surname and a given name, and familiar through its scholarly associations, Emory carries an air of polish and quiet authority, the sense of someone capable and composed.
The name has gained fresh appeal as a soft yet substantial choice, its warm -ory ending lending it a gentle, modern feel while its leadership-tinged meaning keeps it grounded. It sits comfortably among the surname-style names that read as both refined and approachable, and it works gracefully across a range of styles. Increasingly unisex in feel, Emory pairs well with classic and contemporary names alike, which has broadened its appeal among today's parents.
Emory first entered the US Social Security top-1000 for boys in 2012 and reached its peak in 2018 at rank #789. It has remained a steady presence since, sitting at #884 in 2024, and across its run it has been given to about 3,519 boys — one of the more enduring and consistent names in this group. Recorded variants include Amery and Amory, which lean toward the name's older, more traditional spellings. For parents seeking a soft yet substantial surname-style name with a meaning of quiet leadership, Emory offers polish, warmth, and lasting appeal.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration name data, 1880–2024 (methodology). By Marvin Tang.
Quick Facts About Emory
US Popularity History (2011–2025)
Annual US births named Emory by gender, from US Social Security Administration records. Peak year: 2024 with 940 girls named Emory (girl rank #330 that year).
Where it stands today: in 2025, ranked #339 for girls (899 US births). That's 9 places below its 2024 peak.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Limitations: US birth-certificate data only; names appearing fewer than 5 times in a given year are suppressed for privacy; spelling variants are counted separately. For names that ranked outside the US top 100 before year 2000, only the years they reached the top 100 are shown — the chart may have gaps for less-popular historical names.
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Where in the US Is Emory Most Popular?
Average girl-name rank within each state across 2016–2025 SSA records. A lower number means the name appears closer to the top of that state's girls-name rankings — a per-capita measure that isn't biased toward large states. For Emory the strongest states are Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina.
Strongest girls-name states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama | #153 | 291 |
| 2 | Tennessee | #182 | 368 |
| 3 | North Carolina | #206 | 473 |
| 4 | South Carolina | #207 | 209 |
| 5 | Mississippi | #210 | 134 |
| 6 | West Virginia | #227 | 47 |
| 7 | Kentucky | #309 | 133 |
| 8 | Georgia | #321 | 322 |
| 9 | Texas | #326 | 985 |
| 10 | Connecticut | #355 | 27 |
Weakest girls-name states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | #935 | 49 |
| 2 | New Jersey | #812 | 39 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | #784 | 40 |
| 4 | California | #762 | 178 |
| 5 | Arizona | #728 | 59 |
| 6 | Illinois | #718 | 70 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | #676 | 45 |
| 8 | Michigan | #637 | 106 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | #635 | 133 |
| 10 | Minnesota | #629 | 42 |
Source: SSA state-level baby-name dataset 2016–2025. States with fewer than 3 years of data for Emory in this window are excluded. Births < 5 in a given state-year are suppressed by SSA for privacy.
Variant Forms
Looking for names like Emory?
A dedicated page with 60+ related names — spelling variants, rhymes, alliterations, same-origin matches, and shared meaning concepts — lives at its own URL so each kind of similarity gets a deeper treatment than fits here.
Compare Emory to Other Popular Names
Side-by-side popularity charts and crossover years for Emory against today's most popular girls-name peers (top 8 by US births in the last 10 years of SSA records).
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