Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Emerson

Emerson is the transferred use of an English surname meaning, quite literally, son of Emery. The name Emery came to England by way of the Norman French and has roots in the Germanic language – from the ancient Germanic personal name “Amalric”. Amalric is comprised of the Germanic elements “amal” (meaning ‘bravery’) and “rīc” (meaning ‘powerful’). The French brought the name to England after the 11th century Norman Invasion where it was anglicized to Emmeric and eventually to Emery by the 13th century. Emerson developed from Emery as a patronymic surname. It has historically been used as a male personal name since the 19th century but today, in the 21st century, Emerson is now considered unisex. As forename, both Emery and Emerson are primarily used in the United States versus other English-speaking nations.

All About the Baby Name – Emerson

Personality

OF THE UNISEX NAME EMERSON

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE UNISEX NAME EMERSON

In the United States, the name Emerson has been around as a male name since 1880. It may have first been used in homage to the American transcendentalist author Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882). This champion of individualism was quite popular in the mid-1800s. As we turned into the 20th century, however, the male name Emerson began to lose favor. By the 1970s, the name pretty much disappeared from usage. In 2002, American parents discovered this name for their little girls so Emerson became officially unisex. Today, the name is only slightly more popular for girls than it is for boys – both versions of the name enjoy only moderate levels of success. In any case, compared to Emery, Emerson is a lot more masculine (thanks to the “-son” suffix), but it is one of those cute androgynous sounding surnames that American parents can’t get enough of for their little girls. The popular actress Teri Hatcher would agree. She was ahead of the eight ball in 1997 when she named her daughter Emerson Rose. Em, Emma and Emmy are cute nicknames for the female Emersons, but these nicknames work less for boys (except maybe Emery). We think that both Emery and Emerson are cool names, but Emery feels more feminine and Emerson masculine. Some parents like the masculine names for their daughters, and they get a double-whammy with Emerson or Emery – because these names come from the Germanic meaning ‘brave’ and ‘powerful’. Why shouldn’t the females hijack these qualities, too?

Quick Facts

ON EMERSON

GENDER:

Unisex

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

3

RANKING POPULARITY:

N/A

PRONUNCIATION:

EM-ər-sən

SIMPLE MEANING:

Son of Emery; Brave, powerful

Characteristics

OF EMERSON

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Emerson

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME EMERSON

George Emerson is the handsome protagonist in E. M. Forster’s 1908 novel, A Room with a View. Along with his father, the elder Emerson, George is a free thinker in a shackled time, a man who appreciates women for their intelligence as well as for their beauty. Although of a lower social order than the object of his love, Lucy Honeychurch, he nonetheless wins her through his passion and and charm, and persuades her to elope with him, in full defiance of a social agenda that is clearly running out of steam.

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Emerson

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME EMERSON

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Emerson


Popular Songs

ON EMERSON

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Emerson


Famous People

NAMED EMERSON

Emerson Moisés Costa (Brazilian footballer commonly known solely as Emerson)
Emerson Hart (musician)
Emerson Dickman (baseball player)
Emerson Boozer(football player)
Emerson Moisés Costa (Brazilian footballer commonly known solely as Emerson)
Emerson Hart (musician)
Emerson Dickman (baseball player)
Emerson Boozer(football player)
Emerson Moisés Costa (Brazilian footballer commonly known solely as Emerson)
Emerson Hart (musician)
Emerson Dickman (baseball player)
Emerson Boozer(football player)

Children of Famous People

NAMED EMERSON

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Emerson

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME EMERSON

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American writer, lecturer, philosopher and leader of the Transcendentalist movement of self-reliance of the mid- 19th century, whose number included Henry David Thoreau, Bronson Alcott, Louisa May Alcott, Walt Whitman and Margaret Fuller. Praising the relationship between man and nature, Ralph Emerson asserted that this was important to man’s essential soul, and that in pursuing the path of virtuous individualism, he paved the way to infinity. He also outraged the Christian community with his solid belief in the goodness of the Christ figure, but not the absolute divinity. In his view, everything and everyone is connected to God, therefore, all is divine. During the Civil War, Emerson was an active abolitionist, often harboring its proponents in his home in Concord, Massachusetts. Admiration of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s character and the unencumbered nature of his philosophy of the human condition are almost as widespread today as they were in his times. In his own words, he embraces a philosophy that resonates as strongly with us today as it did with his contemporaries: “I dare attempt to lay out my own road/That which myself delights in shall be Good/That which I do not want – indifferent,/That which I hate is Bad.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of the greatest American thinkers who believed in the boundlessness of the private man, individualism and the connection between man and nature in the universe. His philosophy was at the center of the American transcendental movement, and his most widely read essay, "Nature” (1833) represented 10 years of intensive study in religion, philosophy and literature. His writings would have a profound influence on some other great American thinkers: Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman. Some great quotes by Emerson include: “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” And “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of the greatest American thinkers who believed in the boundlessness of the private man, individualism and the connection between man and nature in the universe. His philosophy was at the center of the American transcendental movement, and his most widely read essay, "Nature” (1833) represented 10 years of intensive study in religion, philosophy and literature. His writings would have a profound influence on some other great American thinkers: Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman. Some great quotes by Emerson include: “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” And “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of the greatest American thinkers who believed in the boundlessness of the private man, individualism and the connection between man and nature in the universe. His philosophy was at the center of the American transcendental movement, and his most widely read essay, "Nature” (1833) represented 10 years of intensive study in religion, philosophy and literature. His writings would have a profound influence on some other great American thinkers: Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman. Some great quotes by Emerson include: “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” And “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”