Unisex, originally a boy's name; in the United States now more often given to girls · English (surname from Germanic) · International
Emerson
EmersonSay it EM-er-sun
- Meaning today
- Son of Emery, brave, powerful
- Original meaning
- "son of Emery (Germanic Amalric, '-ric' = ruler, power)" Bosworth-Toller, entries 25771 and 25772
- Say it
- EM-er-sun
- Other spellings
- Emersyn, Emmerson
Emerson
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Emerson meaning
Emerson is an international unisex name of English origin (surname from Germanic), used for both girls and boys.
Son of Emery (Germanic Amalric, '-ric' = ruler, power)
Also used to mean: brave, powerful
Emerson began as an English surname meaning "son of Emery". Emery was a Norman name, Amauri or Emaurri in Old French, from the Germanic Amalric. The last part of Amalric is the word for ruler or power, Old English rīce, which Bosworth-Toller's dictionary gives as power, rule and dominion; the first part, amal-, is less certain and is read as vigour or work. The best-known bearer is the American essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, a leader of the Transcendentalist movement, whose journals show him reading the Bhagavad Gita and who was strongly influenced by Vedanta. As a first name it is now used for girls and boys alike.
Source: Bosworth-Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (1898), entries 25771 and 25772 · entry ríce · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Bosworth-Toller, ríce (noun) · Wikipedia, Emerson (surname) · Geneanet, Emery · Wikipedia, Ralph Waldo Emerson
Famous namesakes
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist and poet
Popularity abroad
- #122 United States, girls 2025 (up 29 from 151 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #522 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Emerson · Emersyn · Emmerson