Emile

Meaning: Traditionally glossed 'rival, striving'
Origin: From the Roman family name Aemilius (from Latin, via French Emile)

Boy's name · #2098 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Emile holds its lane: charted since 1880 and rarely far from where it stands today (#2098 in 2025). About 8,600 boys have carried it along the way. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Emile is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 4 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Emile ranks in other countries and regions.

#30 in Belgium (2025) · #106 in France (2025) · #246 in Switzerland (2025) · #984 in England & Wales (2025) · #1,040 in Netherlands (2025) · #65 in Canada (2024).

Famous Emiles

Émile Zola — French novelist, journalist, playwright, and poet (1840–1902)
Émile Durkheim — French sociologist (1858–1917)
Emile Verhaeren — Belgian poet (1855–1916)
Émile Borel — French mathematician and politician (1871–1956)
Émile Loubet — 8th president of France (1838–1929)

In stories & tradition

Émile Blondet^fr — Illusions perdues (book)
Emile Leopold Locque^it — For Your Eyes Only (film)
Émile — Emile, or On Education (book)

What Emiles become

Among 2,948 notable people named Emile:

Lawyers & judges appear 1.91× more often than among typical names — e.g. Émile Acollas, French jurist (1826–1891).

Similar names: Emil · Hosea · Emery · Lyle · Jules · Eliott

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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