Emma
EM-uh
A classic name associated with love, often explained from Latin Amata or as a short form of older Germanic names.
Meaning
In the provided 19th-century sources, Emma is explained two ways: some derive it from German amme, meaning "nurse," while another source says it comes rather from the Latin Amata, meaning "loved." The excerpts also show it functioning as the base for related forms like Emmeline and Emmett, and as a name used in English and across European languages.
Origin
LatinGermanicfeminine
Fun fact
A later 19th-century source notes that Emma was so common it could be confused with Amy and Emily.
Confidence: mixed. Sources: History of Christian Names, Praenomina; or, the etymology of the principal Christian names of Great Britain and Ireland.