Emma Alternatives Part Three

Ella

German; English

"all, completely; fairy maiden"

Ella is a sweet, simple name that owes much of its current popularity to the popularity of other names, from Emma to Bella to Emily to Ellie. Ella is one of those names that has ranked in the US Top…

Eva

Latin form of Eve, Hebrew

"life"

Eva is a simple, classic Hebrew name for girls that recently slipped out of the US Top 100 for the first time in more than a decade. Pronounced either like her more popular sister Ava or less popular…

Ezra

Hebrew

"help"

Ezra is a biblical favorite for boys that's been making inroads into the girls' Top 1000 since 2018 and it's easy to see why. With its soft sounds and -a ending, it holds the same appeal as Noa,…

Etta

English and Scottish, short form of any name ending with -etta: Henrietta, Loretta etc.

Thanks to the surprise hit revival of Etta James' song At Last and because of recent interest in vintage style nicknames, Etta has established herself as a possible successor to Emma and Ella. While…

Erma

English variation of Irma, English, German, Slovene

"whole, great, universal; army man"

A variation of the German Irma, Erma emerged in the 19th century in English-speaking countries where its similarity to timeless Emma might have helped it gain popularity. In fact, if you follow its…

Elsa

German diminutive of Elisabeth

"pledged to God"

Lost in limbo for decades and decades, Elsa now stands a good chance of following along in the progression from Emma to Ella to Etta, thanks to the ice queen heroine who "Let It Go" in the wildly…

Edda

Norse

"poetry"

This Old Norse girl name has a lovely meaning and a familiar yet distinctive sound.

Elda

Italian variation of Hilda

While we still can't see Hilda coming back any time soon, it's conceivable that this Italian version could ride the coattails of Ella, Elena and Ellery to broader popularity.

Eira

Welsh

"snow"

This Welsh nature name that can be pronounced exactly like the male Ira. Or, to avoid confusion, you could just name her Snow.

Esma

Turkish, Bosnian

"supreme"

Turkish and Bosnian form of the Arabic name Asma, with the powerful meaning of "supreme".

Erla

Erla is a feminine name with primarily Norse and Icelandic origins, derived from the Old Norse 'Erla' meaning 'noble woman' or possibly connected to 'jarl' meaning 'earl' or 'nobleman.' In Icelandic…

Edna

Hebrew

"rejuvenation, delight"

Edna is one of those names that, until what it seemed like a few minutes ago, felt so terminally frumpy that no one could imagine a parent choosing it for an innocent modern baby girl. But with the…

Ebba

Feminization of Ebbe, Swedish and Danish, or variation of Old English Æbbe

"bear god; brave boar"

Ebba, the feminine version of Ebbe (a diminutive of Eberhard or Asbjorn) and also a form of an old English name, is in the Swedish Top 10 but virtually unknown in the US. However, with the rise of…

Erna

Irish

"to know"

That er sound -- as in Myrna, Myrtle, and Bernice -- sounds terminally dated.

Enya

Irish

"fire"

This phonetic Anglicization of the Irish name Eithne was made familiar by the single-named Irish singer and composer. St. Eithne was the daughter of a king and an early Irish convert to Christianity.

Ewa

Ewa is a feminine name primarily used in Polish culture as a variant of Eve or Eva. Its origins trace back to the Hebrew name Chavah, meaning 'life' or 'living one.' In Biblical tradition, Eve was…

Eula

Diminutive of Eulalia

Eula is a slightly sweeter and more compact version of Eulalia. Currently, neither name is given to more than a handful of girls each year. Eula was fairly popular in the US during the early…