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…

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…

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.

Eila

Hebrew, Norwegian variation of Elina

"oak tree; bright, shining light"

Eila is a Hebrew name heard in Israel. The name also has roots in Finland and Norway, where it's derived from Elina, a variation of Helen, or from Aila, a form of Helga. Eila could gain attention as…

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…

Era

Word name

Name that enjoyed some popularity early in the 20th century but now is locked in another, ahem, era.

Elva

Feminine form of Alf or anglicized form of Ailbhe, Danish, Icelandic, Irish

"elf; bright, light, white"

Elva is a multicultural choice, being both an anglicization of the Irish Ailbhe and an feminine form of the name Alf, meaning "elf". Popular in the US at the beginning of the 20th century, it…

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.

Elma

Diminutive of Wilhelmina, German and Dutch

"resolute protection"

Historically a diminutive of Wilhelmina, Elma's parent name and soundalike sisters are slowly stirring back to life as the trend for vintage baby names continues. With Alma on the rise in the US,…

Esha

Sanskrit

"desire"

Esha is a lovely Indian name that would work well outside the Indian sub-continent, perhaps as a substitute to the more unisex Asher.

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…

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…

Esma

Turkish, Bosnian

"supreme"

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

Eda

English, Turkish

"wealthy, well-mannered"

An medieval English diminutive of Edith, which could make an unusual addition to simple vintage revivals like Eva, Ada and Ida. In Turkish, it means "well mannered".

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.

Enna

Enna is a feminine name with multiple possible origins, including as a variation of Anna (Hebrew for 'grace'), a shortened form of names like Ennaline or Marienna, or derived from the ancient city of…

Elya

Slavic form of Helen

A Slavic variation of Helen that might make an unusual update of that classic name.