What era do you think of more when you hear the name Emily, the late 1800s/early 1900s or the second wave of popularity in the 1990s/2000s?

[SavlaRae8]

Even though emily statistically had the most popularity in the 90s/2000s, 100 years earlier it was also used a fair amount, albeit it wasn’t in top 5 popular in the 1900s but it was a well known name. Emily fell out of the top 100 in the 1920s, joined again the in 70s and reached its peak as the top name in the late 90s/early 2000s.It’s definitely classic but it fell out of favour for a very long time before being rediscovered.

There’s alot of names with a similar generation cycle to Emily like Olivia, Isabella, Lily etc which had fallen out of favour and were seen as old fashioned but then get popular again with parents who didn’t know people with those names when they were kids so it sounded fresh to them.

So it got me wondering what era of Emily do people think of most in 2025 when they hear the name. The Victorian days of the name Emily being in use or Emily’s second wave of popularity as the top name from the late 90s into the 00s?

I know Emilys from all generations so I think of it as a very timeless, classic name.

Interesting question. This is probably going to be unpopular but Emily is very 90s/00s to me, even though there’s no denying it’s an old name, I personally think its popularity around that time ruined the timeless feel only the name. Any name that is the number 1 name In a specific era like Emily was in the uk is bound to become associated with it, whether it be an old name or not. It felt like every baby 20+ years ago was called Emily

I love Emily. I don’t know if I think of it in either timescale but I’m too young for one and too old for the other!

There was one in my school who hated it because it was old fashioned (it was wall to wall Emmas in there).

But there were five in oldest DS's year. So I'd definitely think 2000s.

This. I don't think it falls into an era at all. It's just timeless (and lovely imo).

I agree it just seems timeless.
I can picture an Emily from just about every decade in the last 200 odd years.

I had two in my class at secondary school (mid 90s) but I think it's pretty timeless/classic!

Second wave for me.

I see it more as a Victorian name. The second wave passed me by.

Classic and timeless to me. I don't associate it with any particular decade.

Although I do now have "See Emily Play" going round in my head which is a nice earworm to have.

I think of Emilys born 1990- 2005

Lovely name and fits both eras.

My sil age 40, there are 2 in my 9 years olds class and 1 in my 5 year olds class, so very current !

I have one word - Bagpuss. So I guess your first timescale.

I had an Emily in my year at school (early noughties) I think it’s a really timeless name.

Bagpuss here too.

I think of it as fairly classic, but I would associate it as current / 90s rather than Victorian.

Funnily enough I know or 3 or 4 little Emily’s so maybe it’s coming back in.

I think of both eras. It’s a beautiful and timeless name.

Same. I have Emily's in my family tree stretching back to well over 100 years ago, nearer 150 years.

I think 1990 to 2000 i dont think its beautiful classic or timeless. To me its dull.

I know LOADS of Emilys my age (late 30s/early 40s) I think this was the first wave after the victorian period but I see this name as 1987 onwards

I appreciate Emily is a gorgeous classic name & makes he think of Emily Bronte but I do know an awful lot of Emily’s & Emma’s born in late 80’s & 90’s! I’ve met a few young Emma’s recently so I think it’s becoming popular again.

It's funny you should ask that.
Every time I've read the name Emily suggested as a DDs name, in my mind it harks back to Victorian times and I picture a lovely lady in Victorian dress and hair style, real Emily Brontë era.
Funnily enough, Emily's sisters were Charlotte and Anne, two other names that have enjoyed a come back recently.

My first thought is Emily Bronte.

Enily was popular in the 1990s-there were several in my dd’s school year and she was born in 1995. But my mother was discouraged from calling me Emily in the 1960s-it was her favorite girl’s name because “it was so old fashioned-she will hate you for it!”. So I think you just can’t second guess names. My aforementioned dd, by the way, is called Grace. We chose it because it was classic and very unusual but not wacky. For the first year of her life it was!