Emerson is an English surname meaning "son of Emery", and Emery comes from the Germanic Emmerich, usually read as "work ruler" or "brave ruler". The philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson gives it a literary pedigree, and for girls it offers the nickname Emmy. As a girls' name Emerson ranked number 1369 in 2000, entered the top 1000 in 2002 and has risen to number 122 in 2025, its best rank so far.