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At a Glance: Name: Emery – Meaning: brave ruler (or, per an alternate theory, 'ruler of the home, ' via Henry) – Origin: English (surname of Germanic origin) – Gender: Neutral – Pronunciation: EM-ur-ee
Emery works as a name for any child, and its roots run through Old English as a surname of Germanic origin, carrying the meaning 'brave ruler' — or, by another account, 'ruler of the home' by way of Henry. You might have heard it tied to the sanding mineral of the same name, but that's just a coincidence of modern sound, not where the name actually comes from. Said EM-ur-ee, it has a steady, grounded feel to match that history.
Meaning & Origin of Emery
Meaning: Brave ruler (or, per an alternate theory, 'ruler of the home, ' via henry).
Origin: English (surname of Germanic origin).
A common claim: Emery is sometimes associated with the mineral 'emery' (as in emery board/emery cloth). Actually: That's just a modern homophone, not the name's etymological root, which is Germanic ('brave power' via Amalric, or 'ruler of the home' via Henry).
Source: Wiktionary.
How to Pronounce Emery
Phonetic: EM-ur-ee IPA: /ˈɛməri/
Popularity of Emery
Emery held steady at #70 on the SSA list from 2023 to 2024, with the count climbing from 3,111 babies to 3,197 over that year.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1880–2024.
Make Emery Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Emery, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
Names With a Similar Story
Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.
FAQ
What does the name Emery mean?
Brave ruler (or, per an alternate theory, ‘ruler of the home, ‘ via henry). (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Emery)
How do you pronounce Emery?
Emery is pronounced EM-ur-ee (IPA: /ˈɛməri/).
Is Emery a popular name right now?
Emery is near its all-time peak (#70 in 2023), ranked #70 in 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1880–2024.)
📊 How popular is Emery? See the full popularity history, trend data, and ranking since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.
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