Emi
Torn between Emi and another name? Compare them side by side →
Meaning
a Japanese name with meanings that depend on the written characters, including "blessing and beauty" (恵美) and "picture and beauty" (絵美); also a short form of Emily or Emilia
The story
Emi can be a Japanese given name in its own right, with meanings that depend on how it is written. In 恵美, the first character means "favor," "benefit" or "blessing," and the second means "beauty." In 絵美, "picture" or "painting" takes the first place. These are examples of kanji, characters used in Japanese writing. Other character combinations and spellings in Japanese scripts that represent sounds are possible. The Roman letters Emi do not tell us which written form someone uses.
In the United States, Emi is also used as a short form of Emily or Emilia. Those nicknames have a separate history from the Japanese name.
How popular is Emi around the world?
In the United States, 1,314 babies were named Emi between 2020 and 2025. In South Australia, 2 girls were registered as Emi in 2017.
Emi is on the official records of the United States, South Australia, Scotland, France, Canada, England and Wales, Mexico City, Chile, Poland, Austria, Brazil and Spain.
United States
1 in 17,000
In the United States, 1,314 babies were named Emi between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Emi has stayed rare in US records the whole time: no peak decade to name.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
South Australia
1 in 9,2002017
In South Australia, 2 girls were registered as Emi in 2017.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Scotland
1 in 15,000
In Scotland, 3 girls named Emi were registered in 2024, the 790th most common name among girls that year.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
France
1 in 18,000
In France, about 35 girls named Emi were born in 2025, ranked 1,059th among girls that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
Canada
1 in 20,000
In Canada, 18 girls named Emi were born in 2024, ranked 1,349th among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
England and Wales
1 in 22,000
In England and Wales, 27 girls named Emi were born in 2025, ranked 1,197th among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Mexico City City
1 in 39,000
In Mexico City, there were 3 registrations of Emi in 2022.
share of that year’s registrations in the city
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Chile
1 in 59,000
In Chile, 3 girls were registered as Emi in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.
First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021
Poland
1 in 62,000
In Poland, 4 girls named Emi were born in 2025, the 498th most common name among girls that year.
The count never rose above 8 in a year, too few to chart.
First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)
Austria
1 in 76,000
In Austria, 1 girl named Emi was born in 2025, ranked 1,875th among girls that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Brazil
1 in 200,000
At the 2022 census, 1,078 people in Brazil were named Emi, ranked 7,854th, with a median age of 52.
Among people named Emi living in Brazil at the 2022 census, roughly as many were born in the 1950s as in the 1960s, more than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
The census also counted 58 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Spain
1 in 330,000
In Spain, 134 residents are named Emi, ranked 6,148th among women, with a mean age of 24.6 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Argentina
last on record 2023
Emi is not on the 2024 record for Argentina, where small counts are withheld at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Ireland
last on record 2018
Emi is not on the 2025 record for Ireland, where names under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Montevideo City
last on record 1998
Emi is not on the 2011 record for Montevideo, whose registry withholds nothing, so the spelling was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
Not on the record in Puerto Rico and New Zealand: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Emi
Most people given the name Emi in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The meeting point
A Japanese name of its own meets a Western short form at the same sound.
Emily · a short form of Emily in English-speaking families: Hong Kong fitness creator Emi Wong was born Emily Wong Lok-ting
Emilia · also used as a short form of Emilia
Emi · a standalone Japanese given name whose meaning depends on the kanji, including 恵美, "favour and beauty," and 絵美, "picture and beauty"
Emiko · used as a short form of Emiko: voice actress Emi Shinohara, Sailor Moon's Sailor Jupiter, was born Emiko Shinohara, 恵美子, which is Emi's 恵美 plus 子, ko, "child"
Keep exploring
Japanese Brazilian baby names · Dual-language baby names · Short names · What is Emi short for?
The Emi deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Emi truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Emi fits with your family’s names and surname.
Does Emi fit YOUR family?
nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.
Add Emi to your family’s tree →