Name of the Day: Emmett
This moniker could easily be worn by Mercy’s younger brother. He’s strong and sincere, a little bit old school and yet current, too.
Thanks to Jess for suggesting today’s Name of the Day: Emmett.
Perhaps the best known Emmett in recent years was actually Emmitt – Smith, that is, three time Super Bowl champ and NFL record holder who went on to win the third season of Dancing With the Stars. His moniker was famously worn by a cast of unlikelies insisting “I am Emmitt Smith” in a Visa card commercial about identity theft protection a few years back.
Despite this gridiron giant, most perceive Emmetts as smart and scholarly rather than athletic and aggressive. While the name is sometimes attributed to the Hebrew that gave us Emmanuel, the most valid source appears to be Old High German. The word ermin gave us feminine monikers like the clunky Ermintrude (which we rather like) and the chart-topping Emma. Emmett appears to have evolved as a masculine version of the name, and is often used as a surname. In any case, all of the appellations share the meaning “whole, universal” – an appealing definition indeed.
It’s hard to track down the earliest uses of Emmett, but Emma has been around since at least the tenth century. It’s safe to assume that Emmett (and the variant Emmet) have been well-established in the historical record as both first and last names for hundreds of years.
In the US, Emmett has been in steady use since 1880, never leaving the Top 1000 given name rankings. In the 1980s and 90s, he seemed destined for obscurity, lingering in the 800s and above. But today, he’s steadily climbing the charts and stands at #576. That makes Emmett about as common as boys’ names Malcolm, River, Paxton, Ronan and Jerome – familiar, but certainly not often heard.
Given the popularity of Emma and Emily, it’s not surprising to hear Em- choices for our sons, too. Since Emerson appears to be headed to the girls’ side, it’s natural that parents are turning to Emmett. It seems unlikely that this one will ever be used for our daughters.
There are a few other bearers of the name that lend him his honest appeal. In 1977, Jim Henson put together a twist on the Gift of the Magi entitled Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say that Emmet is a nice young mammal who loves his mama, keeps his chin up in tough circumstances and ends well.
More recently, on both the silver screen and the Great White Way, Emmett Richmond is the name of Elle Woods’ beau principled and thoughtful beau in the Legally Blonde franchise. Luke Wilson played him in the movie and its sequel, and was among the few perceptive enough to immediately see the brains within the blonde.
Any list of famous Emmetts would be incomplete without referencing Emmett Kelly, perhaps the best known circus clown in all of history. And if you’re a child of the 80s, you’ll think of Christopher Lloyd’s time-travel inventing mad scientist figure in the Back to the Future series.
From the locker room to the laboratory and back again, we think that Emmett makes a great choice for a son. The name conveys sincerity and gentle strength. And while it’s comfortably recognized and easily pronounced, odds are good that he won’t share it with many others.
Filed under: Names for Boys, Names of the Day | 12 Comments
Tags: Emmet, Emmett, Emmitt
Blogroll
- Baby Name Brainstorm
- Chanara\’s Blog
- Legit Baby Names
- Lola\’s Onomastic Fits
- Moniker Madness!
- Much Ado About Naming
- Nameberry
- Naming across the pond
- Onomastics Shamastics
- Onomastitrix
- Paige\’s Page O\’ Names!
- The #7 Question
- Voornamelijk (Emma's site – in Dutch!)
- Xanthe Linnea: a name blog
- You Can’t Call It It
- Ysabeau\’s Naming Persuits
I always think of Emmett “Doc” Brown of Back to the Future fame. This is where I first heard the name. And he was supposed to be an old guy – it is an exceedingly old fashioned name to my ears…and I never fail to hear Mary Steenburgen’s southern accent murdering it every time I read the name. (She was in BttF 3.) I’ll place this one above Everett, but probably below Harris on my list. For when I have another baby. Later. Not now.
I remember Emmett Otter! I was 10 in 1977. (yes, I am old) And Emmett Smith is familiar enough to render Emmett completely masculine despite it’s similarity to the Em’s (Emily & Emma). Between the similarity to Emily/Emma and the surnamey feel of Emmett, it would be firmly middle name territory for me, if I liked it enough to consider it in the first place. I’m a nicknamer by nature and Emmett leaves me with nothing decent. Em’s gone to the girls, again, thanks to Emily & Emma and there’s maybe Mett/Mitt, which just makes me think of my former Governor, Mitt Romney. Eww. What else is there?
But, like Everett, he’s got a snazzy sound and a snappy feel. He’s just not for me. From your list of names of similar popularity, I’d be more inclined to grab onto Malcolm or Ronan. It must be my style.. I prefer slick and smooth to open & fresh when it comes to boy names. *shrug* I never said I wasn’t odd.
Can I suggest a few more names for notd?? ….Loveday, Millicent, Ira, Gilbert and Assumpta, what do you reckon?!!
Lola my dear, I’m a mere six years your junior and consider myself very, very young indeed! I watched Emmet Otter live on TV, too – and the original Muppet Show!
And I agree – Mitt is dead in the water as a nickname for the foreseeable future.
Katharine, I’ve penciled in Ira for July 17, Gilbert for July 19 and Millicent for July 20. Assumpta scares me with those first three letters, but we’ll put her on July 22 – though I might chicken out and choose Asuncion! As for Loveday, I’m not sure I’ll turn up enough for a post, but I’ll give it my best shot on July 24.
Another, I love Harris! I’m stealing him for my NotD on July 21.
Emmett is an interesting one. Although i don’t personally like it i can see it’s appeal and also i can see it rising in popularity soon, due to the character “Emmett Cullen” in the best selling “Twilight” series which is now a teenage fave read. I think the “Emmett” boom will arrive in a few years when these teens begin to have kids.
Luke Wilson played Emmett, hm…what about doing the name Luke? To me it’s old fashioned, but Lucas and Lukas are current trends. What about good old Luke? Interesting enough for a NotD?
Apologies, I had no idea that my post on future notd posted to this section – it certainly looks a bit random smack bang in the middle of a discussion about the name Emmett! it’ll be great to hear a bit about those names though… actually, I’ve heard of a couple of Loveday’s through work/friends etc and believe it to be an ancient Cornish name so I’m curious to see what you turn up!
Re. Emmett: To me, the similarity to Emma/Emily renders Emmett too feminine for a boy, I have a similar problem with Elliot because the predominance of of Ellie/Ella/Eleanor.
Katharine, my husband was almost Elliot! He ended up Arthur instead. It suits him – I can’t imagine him as a Jason or Michael.
And I don’t have a great place to put a “suggest future NotD” at the moment, so really any comment will do. I should get a button that says “Suggest a NotD,” though … adding it to my list of technological issues to work through.
Another, I’ll plan on a post called “Getting to Luke.” I’ve been meaning to do more in that series, anyhow, on how we can arrive at popular short forms. It’s not that Luke and company are too dull – on the contrary, I find the name quite dashing. But common names with lots of references throughout history and pop culture make the name posts nearly novel-length. And I tend to go on and on (and sometimes on) as is! So in the interest of saving myself editing headaches, I’ve decided to stick to the seldom heard. And, of course, it is *slightly* more interesting to discuss Ermintrude and Hector than Sara and Michael.
Hooray! Another Emmett Otter fan here! I was born in 1977 yet I have vivid memories of this Christmas special.
***pops open another tab on Amazon to search for Emmett Otter’s Jugband Christmas on DVD***
As for the name . . . I guess I should like it because it’s awfully close to Everett but for some reason I find it a bit effeminate. Maybe I’m assuming any Emmett would get “Em” occasionally and I’ve known too many Emilys and Emmas to swallow Em on a boy. I’m not a sports fan (or ballroom dancing), so Emmitt Smith really isn’t a strong association for me.
I LOVE Emmett! It’s such a sweet name, but I agree with Natalie that Emmett’s bound to be popular quite soon because of “Emmett Cullen” in the popular “Twilight” series. Twilght is all my daughter ever talks about. (She’s 14). I’m pretty sure when she has kids, names like Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Rosalie and all the other “Cullen” names are going to turn up on her baby list.
Speaking of Cullen, what about Cullen for a NotD?
Oh and speaking of “Twilight”, i suggest the name Rosalie for Notd – i love it!