Every Boy Name

Boy's name

Emil

Say it EE-mul 2 syllables

Latin · “possibly rival”

Loved across five German cities and three Nordic countries. Common in Poland, Sweden, Austria, and 3 more places. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 8 more places.

1 in 57 boys born in Norway in 2025. Number 2 there.

Emil in every place

Rank, count and share in all 40 places: loved in 8, common in 6, rare in 13.
Emil in every place we hold figures for
Place Rankyear Boysshare 5 years earlier
British Isles
England and Wales771 (down)2025431 in 6,3246562020
Scotland647 (up)202541 in 4,9107112020
Northern IrelandRare: below the complete list2025Not listed2020
Ireland468 (down)202571 in 3,3904592020
North America
Ontario (province)1,354 (down)20247about 1 in 8,5541,0112019
Quebec (province)385 (up)202512about 1 in 2,4214212020
British Columbia (province)581 (new in the list)20235about 1 in 2,603Not listed2018
Nova Scotia (province)Not in the published top 212025Not listed2020
Oceania
New South Wales (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Victoria (state)Not in the published top 1012025Not listed2020
Queensland (state)Not in the published top 1012025Not listed2020
South Australia (state)Not in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
New ZealandNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
Western Europe
France764 (up)2025551 in 5,5031,1732020
Netherlands458 (up)202532about 1 in 2,0799162020
Central Europe
Austria16 (up)20253671 in 104262020
Switzerland40 (up)20251311 in 275442020
Berlin (city)5 (down)2023153about 1 in 10112018
Munich (city)3 (up)202580about 1 in 5582020
Cologne (city)12 (up)202353about 1 in 120282018
Bonn (city)9 (down)202529about 1 in 10952020
Leipzig (city)7 (down)202531about 1 in 9312020
Rostock (city)1 (up)202518about 1 in 5832020
Nordic countries
Norway2 (down)20254051 in 5712020
Sweden49 (down)2025229about 1 in 188462020
Denmark18 (down)2025337122020
Finland72025258No list2020
Iceland32025Rank onlyNo list2020
Southern Europe
SpainNot in the published top 1002024Not listed2019
Catalonia (region)426 (new in the list)202571 in 2,958Not listed2020
Italy329 (new in the list)2024371 in 5,118Not listed2019
Central and Eastern Europe
Poland64 (up)20253981 in 318742020
HungaryNot in the published top 1002025Not listed2020
SloveniaRare: below the complete list20252332020
EstoniaNot in the published top 272025Not listed2020
Moscow (city)Not in the published top 612025Not listed2020
CroatiaNot in the published top 502025No list2020
Middle East
TurkeyNot in the published top 302025Not listed2020
Israel (published as אמיל)527 (up)202416about 1 in 5,3196482019
Latin America
ArgentinaNot in the published top 202024Not listed2019

Germany publishes no national list; the German rows are city registers. Israel publishes names in Hebrew script; the original is shown beside the name. Rank only: the place publishes a top list without counts. About: the publisher leaves out its smallest names, so the share is approximate. ▲ and ▼ compare the rank with five years earlier. Not listed five years earlier: not in that year’s list. No list: the place published no list that year. How these figures are computed.

About the name

Emil comes from the German Emil and the Latin Aemilius, a Roman family name possibly from aemulus, 'rival'. The meaning is given as possibly 'rival'. It is a cognate of the French Émile.

2 more paragraphs

It has two syllables, EE-mul, and a soft, gentle sound. Related names include Emile, Emilio, Eemeli, Aemilius and Milo.

Emil is a leading name in Norway, Iceland and Finland. In English-speaking countries it is rare, found far down the lists in Quebec, Ireland and British Columbia. French records show a peak only a few years ago, and it is rising in more places than it is falling.

Meaning, origin and how to say it

Say it
EE-mul · 2 syllables · Stress on beat 1 of 2.
Meaning
“possibly rival” (hedged in the source)
Origin
Latin
Related names
Milo, Emile, Eemeli, Eemil, Emilio, Aemilius, Emo, Milko, Omeljan, Omelian, Amil, Emiel, Emīls, Yemelyan
Where Emil comes from (Wiktionary)

From German Emil, from Latin Aemilius, a Roman family name possibly from aemulus (“rival”). Cognate with French Émile.

Shortened from the Wiktionary entry for Emil. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Emil over time

Rising in 7 of the 19 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 2. Peak in France: 2023.

Rank in England and Wales, 1996 to 2025

Emil in England and Wales: #976 in 1996, a peak of #506 in 2015, and #771 in 2025.

#1#10#50#100#300#1,000#3,000200020052010201520202025Top 101996: #976, 14 boys1997: #629, 26 boys1998: #644, 27 boys1999: #776, 21 boys2000: #624, 29 boys2001: #686, 26 boys2002: #993, 17 boys2003: #912, 21 boys2004: #970, 21 boys2005: #1,190, 17 boys2006: #914, 26 boys2007: #664, 43 boys2008: #712, 41 boys2009: #760, 38 boys2010: #668, 47 boys2011: #631, 53 boys2012: #682, 49 boys2013: #666, 50 boys2014: #632, 54 boys2015: #506, 76 boys2016: #631, 56 boys2017: #650, 54 boys2018: #731, 46 boys2019: #642, 55 boys2020: #656, 52 boys2021: #695, 50 boys2022: #784, 41 boys2023: #779, 42 boys2024: #737, 47 boys2025: #771, 43 boys#976 in 1996peak #506, 2015#771in 2025
Show the numbers
YearRankBoys
199697614
199762926
199864427
199977621
200062429
200168626
200299317
200391221
200497021
20051,19017
200691426
200766443
200871241
200976038
201066847
201163153
201268249
201366650
201463254
201550676
201663156
201765054
201873146
201964255
202065652
202169550
202278441
202377942
202473747
202577143

Source: Office for National Statistics (OGL v3)

The long view: in France

Half of the boys named Emil in France since 1925 were born in or after 2015. Peak: 2023, about 19 per 100,000 boys. Babies per 100,000 boys, five-year periods.

1925-1929: 0 per 100,000 boys1930-1934: 0 per 100,000 boys1935-1939: 0 per 100,000 boys1940-1944: 0 per 100,000 boys19401945-1949: 0 per 100,000 boys1950-1954: 0 per 100,000 boys1955-1959: 0 per 100,000 boys1960-1964: 0 per 100,000 boys19601965-1969: 0.2 per 100,000 boys1970-1974: 0 per 100,000 boys1975-1979: 0 per 100,000 boys1980-1984: 0 per 100,000 boys19801985-1989: 0.3 per 100,000 boys1990-1994: 1.3 per 100,000 boys1995-1999: 2.4 per 100,000 boys2000-2004: 4.9 per 100,000 boys20002005-2009: 7 per 100,000 boys2010-2014: 9.1 per 100,000 boys2015-2019: 12.8 per 100,000 boys2020-2024: 14 per 100,000 boys20202025: 18.2 per 100,000 boys20252025: about 1 in 5,504 boys
Show the numbers
YearsPer 100,000 boys
1925–19290
1930–19340
1935–19390
1940–19440
1945–19490
1950–19540
1955–19590
1960–19640
1965–19690.2
1970–19740
1975–19790
1980–19840
1985–19890.3
1990–19941.3
1995–19992.4
2000–20044.9
2005–20097
2010–20149.1
2015–201912.8
2020–202414
202518.2

Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0). Dark bar: the period holding the median birth year.

Brothers and middle names for Emil

Brother names

Names that rose and fell with Emil, from the same generation, with no clashing sounds.

  1. 1 in 83, Austria

  2. 1 in 27, Poland

  3. 1 in 84, Norway

  4. 1 in 66, Poland

  5. 1 in 110, Austria

  6. 1 in 208, Norway

  7. 1 in 63, Austria

  8. 1 in 337, Norway

  9. 1 in 240, Norway

  10. 1 in 153, Poland

All 40 brother names for Emil

Middle names

Scored for rhythm against Emil's 2 syllables and for long, steady use.

  1. 1 in 86, England and Wales

  2. 1 in 50, Ireland

  3. 1 in 61, Northern Ireland

  4. 1 in 103, England and Wales

  5. 1 in 130, Scotland

  6. 1 in 62, Poland

  7. 1 in 88, England and Wales

  8. 1 in 137, Scotland

Full-name check

Emil Oliver

Syllables 2-3Initials E.O.No sound clashes between the parts.

All 40 middle names for Emil

Sisters for Emil: Livia, Lina, Luna, and 5 more
  1. LiviaRose and fell with Emil · Same generation as Emil
  2. LinaRose and fell with Emil · Same generation as Emil
  3. LunaRose and fell with Emil · Same generation as Emil
  4. KlaraRose and fell with Emil · Same generation as Emil
  5. LianaRose and fell with Emil · Same generation as Emil
  6. AlmaRose and fell with Emil · As common as Emil
  7. ViktoriaRose and fell with Emil · Same generation as Emil
  8. SaraRose and fell with Emil · Latin, like Emil

Girls' names from the same engine, over the girls' lists of the same publishers.

Moved with Emil

The boy names whose popularity rose and fell most like Emil's across every region and decade we hold.

  1. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 11 more places.

  2. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 10 more places.

  3. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 15 more places.

  4. Common across England and Wales, three Canadian provinces, the Netherlands, and 11 more places.

  5. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 10 more places.

  6. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 7 more places.

  7. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 12 more places.

  8. Rare across France, the UK, Italy, and 8 more places.

Famous people named Emil

Emil Fischer, Emil von Behring, and 6 more
  • Emil Fischer 1852 to 1919

    German chemist

  • Emil von Behring 1854 to 1917

    German physiologist who received the first Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1901 for his discovery of a diphtheria antitoxin

  • Emil Cioran 1911 to 1995

    Romanian-French philosopher and essayist

  • Emil Theodor Kocher 1841 to 1917

    Surgeon, laureate of the 1909 Nobel Prize in Medicine

  • Emil Zátopek 1922 to 2000

    Czech long-distance runner

  • Emil Jannings 1884 to 1950

    German actor

  • Emil Nolde 1867 to 1956

    German artist

  • Emil Lenz 1804 to 1865

    Baltic German physicist

From Wikidata, ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article on them. People: Wikidata (CC0). Links go to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists, else English.

Questions about Emil

How popular is Emil in Ireland?

Emil ranked #468 in Ireland in 2025, given to 7 boys, about 1 in 3,390.

Is Emil rising in popularity?

In some places: it is rising in more of them than it is falling. Rising in 7 of the 19 regions we can compare over five years, falling in 2. Rising in: British Columbia, Catalonia, Netherlands, France, Cologne, and 2 other regions.

What does Emil mean?

Emil means “possibly rival”, according to Wiktionary. The dictionary itself marks this meaning as uncertain.

How many syllables does Emil have?

Emil has 2 syllables: EE-mul.

Every rank and count on this page comes from an official birth register. How these figures are computed.

Meanings, origins and people: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikidata (CC0).

The 42 birth registers behind these figures

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