‘Emily’ is having a moment, and she’s doing well in Philly

Will all the Emilys in the room please stand up.

A recent article from the New York Times discussing the popularity of the name Emily has sparked fandom and excitement online. A look at Emily-lore and data in Philadelphia shows the name carries weight here, too.

From a Philly street name to dozens of businesses containing “Emily,” the 90s favorite has statewide representation. An Eagles cheerleader, a state representative, a SEPTA executive, and this reporter and her editor all share the name. Data show it’s not a fluke.

Over the last 26 years, more than 25,000 babies were named Emily in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Health data show.

Emily’s most popular year for baby names in the state was 1998, aligning with national data that also had it in the top slot. From 1996 through 2007, about 48 million people born were named Emily, and the name also held the No. 1 spot for girl names within those years. In Pennsylvania, the name held the No. 1 spot from 1994 through 2005. As noted by the Times, the eldest Emilys amid that wave of popularity are now entering adulthood.

And in turn, Emily visibility is at a high, with the name appearing in TV, film, song titles, and more.

“She’s in Paris. She’s a criminal. She’s the titular star of a new biopic. She’s being apologized to by Phoebe Bridgers, and she has recently made headlines for smooching Harry Styles,” the Times wrote. “Turn a corner lately, or turn on a TV, and there she is: Emily.”

Name expert Laura Wattenberg told the Times no single Emily sparked the name’s popularity. Instead, it was that it served as an alternative to previously popular names, like Jennifer or Michelle, which had their moments in the sun in the 1960s and ‘70s.

“Everyone could spell and pronounce [Emily],” Wattenberg said. “But it wasn’t terribly common.”

According to the Office of Social Security, the name Emily was most popular nationwide in 2007, with 19,358 babies across the country receiving the name. It represented 0.915% of total births that year. Throughout Pennsylvania, 713 babies were named Emily that year.

But while still somewhat popular, Emily has been taking a downslide in recent years, data show. In 2021, there were 6,541 babies named Emily nationwide, representing 0.368% of total female births.

Pennsylvania data show that in 2021, Emily ranked as the 36th most popular female name, behind Charlotte, Nova, Violet, Penelope, Willow, and others.

Pennsylvania State Rep. Emily Kinkead of Pittsburgh said that she didn’t initially experience a lot of overlap with other Emilys. She’s currently the only one in the state legislature.

“So it’s been strange to start being surrounded by Emilys as the name has gotten more popular,” said Kinkead, 35. “Before the 2018 election, there were more white men named ‘Dan’ in the Allegheny County delegation than there were women.”

When Kinkead ran in 2020, there was another Emily running for her seat as well as an Emily running for a nearby district.

“I joked that we were trying to replace ‘the Dans’ as the dominant name in the delegation,” she said. “Unfortunately, that year I was the only Emily to win, though we are certainly still working to grow our numbers.”

Pennsylvania business records show about 270 businesses throughout the state that have Emily in the name. They include Emily’s Cold Beer and Emily Chelsea Jewelry in Philly, Emily’s Ice Cream in Nazareth, and Emily’s Deli and Grocery in Harrisburg, to name just a few.

In this instance, Emily is just another example of name popularity bell curves playing out in the real world. It has happened before, Social Security data show. Names like Mary, Rachel, Michael, Jessica, and Jacob have all had their time to shine, rising, peaking, and finally, ticking down in popularity.

Baby name expert Jennifer Moss, who founded Babynames.com, told the Times that Emily probably won’t come back for “another couple of generations.”

So to the Emily who’s reading this: Bask in it now while you can. You’re next, Olivia, Emma, and Ava.

Graphics editor John Duchneskie contributed to this article.