Emma

See also: emma

English

Etymology

Brought to England by the Normans; short form of compound given names beginning with a Frankish prototheme Ermin- or Irmin- "entire", from Proto-Germanic *ermunaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛmə/
• Rhymes: -ɛmə

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Proper noun

Emma

1. A female given name from the Germanic languages.
   • 1854, Matthew Hall, The Queens Before the Conquest, pages 259–260:

     Both Saxon and Norman chroniclers unite in representing the youthful Queen Emma as in a peculiar degree gifted with elegance and beauty; so that many flattering epithets had been bestowed on her - as "the Pearl," "the Flower," or "the Fair Maid" of Normandy.

   • 1917, Carl Van Vechten, Interpreters and Interpretations., A.A.Knopf, page 92:

     Emma Calvé...since Madame Bovary the name Emma suggests a solid bourgeois foundation, a country family...Emma Eames, a chilly name...a wind from the East.

   • 1980, Barbara Pym, A Few Green Leaves, →ISBN, page 8:

     The cottage now belonged to Emma's mother Beatrix, who was a tutor in English literature at a women's college, specialising in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century novel. This may have accounted for Emma's Christian name, for it had seemed to Beatrix unfair to call her daughter Emily, a name associated with her grandmother's servants rather than the author of The Wuthering Heights, so Emma had been chosen, perhaps with the hope that some of the qualities possessed by the heroine of the novel might be perpetuated.

Usage notes

• Used in England since the Norman Conquest, fashionable in the 19th century, and again in the U.K. from the 1970s to the 1990s, and in the U.S.A. in the 1990s and the 2000s.

Derived terms

• Emma Chisit

 

Related terms

• (pet forms) Em, Emmie, Emmy
• (female given names) Ermengarde, Irma
• (surnames) Emmett, Emmitt, Emmott

Translations

female given name

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 埃瑪／埃玛 (Āimǎ), 艾瑪／艾玛 (Àimǎ)

• Czech: Ema (cs) f
• Danish: Emma
• Estonian: Emma (et)
• Faroese: Emma f
• Finnish: Emma (fi)
• French: Emma (fr)
• German: Emma (de)
• Hawaiian: ʻEma
• Hebrew: אמה (he) f
• Icelandic: Emma (is) f
• Japanese: エマ (ema)
• Korean: 엠마 (Emma)
• Norwegian: Emma (no)
• Persian: اما (fa) (emâ)
• Portuguese: Ema f
• Russian: Э́мма (ru) f (Émma)
• Slovak: Ema f
• Spanish: Ema (es)
• Swedish: Emma (sv)

Anagrams

• MMEA

Cebuano

Etymology

From English Emma.

Proper noun

Emma

1. a female given name from English [in turn from the Germanic languages]

Danish

Etymology

From German Emma.

Proper noun

Emma

1. a female given name

References

• [1] Danskernes Navne, based on CPR data: 21 325 females with the given name have been registered in Denmark between about 1890 (the population alive in 1967) and January 2005, with the frequency peak in the 2000s. Accessed on 19 June 2011.

Estonian

Etymology

From German Emma.

Proper noun

Emma

1. a female given name

Faroese

Proper noun

Emma f

1. a female given name

Usage notes

Matronymics

• son of Emma: Emmuson
• daughter of Emma: Emmudóttir

Declension

	Singular
	Indefinite
Nominative	Emma
Accusative	Emmu
Dative	Emmu
Genitive	Emmu

Finnish

Etymology

From German Emma.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈemːɑ/, [ˈe̞mːɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -emːɑ
• Syllabification^(key): Em‧ma

Proper noun

Emma

1. a female given name
   • 1929 Väinö Siikaniemi/folk melody, Emma (song), in Suuri Toivelaulukirja, F-Kustannus Oy (2003), →ISBN, page 210:

     Oi muistatkos, Emma, sen kuutamoillan,
     kun yhdessä tansseista kuljettiin?
     Sinä sanasi annoit ja valasi vannoit
     ja lupasit olla mun omani.
     Oi Emma, Emma, oi Emma, Emma,
     kun lupasit olla mun omani.

     Oh Emma, do you remember that moonlit night
     when we were walking back from the dance together?
     You gave your word and made your vows
     and promised to be mine.
     Oh Emma, Emma, oh Emma, Emma,
     when you promised to be mine.

   • 1964, Kaarina Helakisa, Kaarina Helakisan satukirja, WSOY, page 10:

     ―Kuulepa lintu, sinun nimesi olkoon Emma, se on totta vieköön iloinen ja hupsu nimi, poika sanoi.

     ―Listen birdie, your name shall be Emma, that is indeed a happy and silly name, the boy said.

   • 1985, Keijo Siekkinen, Äidin hauta, Gummerus, →ISBN, page 9:

     Minulla on sana, josta pidän erityisen paljon, vaikka se ei ole paljon minkään näköinen, se on pulska niin kuin sinä ennen kuin rupesit laihtumaan. Sen sanan nimi on semmoinen. Minä laitan sen sinnekin minne se ei käy. Vaikka se on pulska niin se on kevyt. Se on niin kuin Emma. Emmalle me löydettiin nimi Messukylän vanhalta hautausmaalta.

     I have a word that I really like, even if it doesn't look like it much, it's rotund like you before you started losing weight. The name of the word is just like that. I'll stick it even in places where it doesn't belong, even if it's fleshy yet light. It's like Emma, whose name we found from the old Messukylä graveyard.

Usage notes

• Popular in Finland at the end of the 19th century and again in the 2000s.

Declension

Inflection of Emma (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		Emma	Emmat
genitive		Emman	Emmojen
partitive		Emmaa	Emmoja
illative		Emmaan	Emmoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		Emma	Emmat
accusative	nom.	Emma	Emmat
	gen.	Emman
genitive		Emman	Emmojen Emmain rare
partitive		Emmaa	Emmoja
inessive		Emmassa	Emmoissa
elative		Emmasta	Emmoista
illative		Emmaan	Emmoihin
adessive		Emmalla	Emmoilla
ablative		Emmalta	Emmoilta
allative		Emmalle	Emmoille
essive		Emmana	Emmoina
translative		Emmaksi	Emmoiksi
abessive		Emmatta	Emmoitta
instructive		—	Emmoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of Emma (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Emmani Emmani accusative nom. Emmani Emmani gen. Emmani genitive Emmani Emmojeni Emmaini rare partitive Emmaani Emmojani inessive Emmassani Emmoissani elative Emmastani Emmoistani illative Emmaani Emmoihini adessive Emmallani Emmoillani ablative Emmaltani Emmoiltani allative Emmalleni Emmoilleni essive Emmanani Emmoinani translative Emmakseni Emmoikseni abessive Emmattani Emmoittani instructive — — comitative — Emmoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Emmasi Emmasi accusative nom. Emmasi Emmasi gen. Emmasi genitive Emmasi Emmojesi Emmaisi rare partitive Emmaasi Emmojasi inessive Emmassasi Emmoissasi elative Emmastasi Emmoistasi illative Emmaasi Emmoihisi adessive Emmallasi Emmoillasi ablative Emmaltasi Emmoiltasi allative Emmallesi Emmoillesi essive Emmanasi Emmoinasi translative Emmaksesi Emmoiksesi abessive Emmattasi Emmoittasi instructive — — comitative — Emmoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Emmamme Emmamme accusative nom. Emmamme Emmamme gen. Emmamme genitive Emmamme Emmojemme Emmaimme rare partitive Emmaamme Emmojamme inessive Emmassamme Emmoissamme elative Emmastamme Emmoistamme illative Emmaamme Emmoihimme adessive Emmallamme Emmoillamme ablative Emmaltamme Emmoiltamme allative Emmallemme Emmoillemme essive Emmanamme Emmoinamme translative Emmaksemme Emmoiksemme abessive Emmattamme Emmoittamme instructive — — comitative — Emmoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Emmanne Emmanne accusative nom. Emmanne Emmanne gen. Emmanne genitive Emmanne Emmojenne Emmainne rare partitive Emmaanne Emmojanne inessive Emmassanne Emmoissanne elative Emmastanne Emmoistanne illative Emmaanne Emmoihinne adessive Emmallanne Emmoillanne ablative Emmaltanne Emmoiltanne allative Emmallenne Emmoillenne essive Emmananne Emmoinanne translative Emmaksenne Emmoiksenne abessive Emmattanne Emmoittanne instructive — — comitative — Emmoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative Emmansa Emmansa accusative nom. Emmansa Emmansa gen. Emmansa genitive Emmansa Emmojensa Emmainsa rare partitive Emmaansa Emmojaan Emmojansa inessive Emmassaan Emmassansa Emmoissaan Emmoissansa elative Emmastaan Emmastansa Emmoistaan Emmoistansa illative Emmaansa Emmoihinsa adessive Emmallaan Emmallansa Emmoillaan Emmoillansa ablative Emmaltaan Emmaltansa Emmoiltaan Emmoiltansa allative Emmalleen Emmallensa Emmoilleen Emmoillensa essive Emmanaan Emmanansa Emmoinaan Emmoinansa translative Emmakseen Emmaksensa Emmoikseen Emmoiksensa abessive Emmattaan Emmattansa Emmoittaan Emmoittansa instructive — — comitative — Emmoineen Emmoinensa

Related terms

• Emmi, Irma, Irmeli

Statistics

• Emma is the 42^nd most common female given name in Finland, belonging to 14,963 female individuals (and as a middle name to 2,647 more), according to February 2023 data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of Finland.

Anagrams

• amme

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ.ma/ ~ /e.ma/

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Emma f

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Emma
   • 1857, Gustave Flaubert, translated by Eleanor Marx-Aveling, Madame Bovary: Part II, Chapter III::

     Charles désirait qu’on appelât l’enfant comme sa mère ; Emma s’y opposait. On parcourut le calendrier d’un bout à l’autre, et l’on consulta les étrangers.

     Charles wanted the child to be called after her mother; Emma opposed this. They ran over the calendar from end to end, and then consulted outsiders.

Usage notes

• Popular in France in the 2000s.

German

Etymology

Short form of compound female given names beginning with Proto-Germanic *ermana, Proto-Germanic *irmina "whole, entire".

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Emma

1. a female given name

Usage notes

• Name of medieval German saints and queens. Popular in Germany in the 19th century and becoming popular in the 2000s.

Related terms

• Emmi, Emmy, Irma, Irmgard

Latvian

Etymology

First recorded as a given name of Latvians in 1852. From German Emma.

Proper noun

Emma f

1. a female given name

Usage notes

• Popular in Latvia in the end of the 19th century

References

• Klāvs Siliņš: Latviešu personvārdu vārdnīca. Riga "Zinātne" 1990, →ISBN
• [2] Population Register of Latvia: Emma was the only given name of 687 persons in Latvia on May 21st 2010.

Norwegian

Etymology

From German Emma. First recorded in Norway in the 1790s.

Proper noun

Emma

1. a female given name

References

• Kristoffer Kruken - Ola Stemshaug: Norsk personnamnleksikon, Det Norske Samlaget, Oslo 1995, →ISBN
• [3] Statistisk sentralbyrå, Namnestatistikk: 8 241 females with the given name Emma living in Norway on January 1st 2011, with the frequency peak in the 2000s. Accessed on 19 May, 2011.

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈema/ [ˈe.ma]
• Rhymes: -ema
• Syllabification: Em‧ma

Proper noun

Emma f

1. a female given name

Swedish

Etymology

From German Emma. First recorded in Sweden in 1766.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

Emma c (genitive Emmas)

1. a female given name

Related terms

• Emmy, Irma

References

• Roland Otterbjörk: Svenska förnamn, Almqvist & Wiksell 1996, →ISBN
• [4] Statistiska centralbyrån and Sture Allén, Staffan Wåhlin, Förnamnsboken, Norstedts 1995, →ISBN: 69 488 females with the given name Emma living in Sweden on December 31st, 2010, with frequency peaks in the 19th century and in the 2000s. Accessed on 19 June 2011.

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from English Emma.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈʔema/ [ˈʔɛː.mɐ]
• Rhymes: -ema
• Syllabification: E‧mma

Proper noun

Emma (Baybayin spelling ᜁᜋ)

1. a female given name from English

Anagrams

• mema