Fun Facts About the Name Emiya
- 384 babies named Emiya: U.S. records list 384 babies given the name Emiya from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Emiya Mean?
Emiya is a Japanese surname rather than a common Japanese given name. In the form familiar from modern fiction it is written 衛宮: 衛 means "defend" or "protect," and 宮 means "Shinto shrine" or "palace." The literal sense is therefore something like "shrine guardian" or "protecting shrine." That is an interpretation of the written characters; it is not a documented account of what the first bearers of the name did, and Japanese surnames with the same pronunciation can be written with other characters.
Emiya Name History & Origins
The written form 衛宮 belongs to the large group of Japanese surnames built from shrine vocabulary. Japanese family names became widely registered only after the Meiji government required them in the 1870s, when many households adopted names from local places, occupations, or religious sites. Whether 衛宮 began as a place name, a name for shrine service, or another local designation is not securely documented.
The pronunciation shows a surname-specific reading: 衛 is usually read ei in Sino-Japanese compounds, but it can be read e in family names, while 宮 is read miya. The name is familiar to many English speakers from the Fate/stay night franchise, where Shirou Emiya and Kiritsugu Emiya use the surname 衛宮; this is a modern literary association, not evidence of the name's origin.
How Popular is the Name Emiya?
Emiya has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2010. Its best rank was #5,540 in 2013.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #13,716 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #11,361 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2023 | #9,170 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2022 | #11,515 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #7,367 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2020 | #6,718 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 2019 | #6,799 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2018 | #6,891 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2017 | #7,192 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2016 | #6,244 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2015 | #9,684 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #8,616 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #5,540 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2012 | #7,948 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2011 | #6,002 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2010 | #5,670 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2009 | #8,174 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2008 | #7,166 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2007 | #10,348 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2006 | #6,668 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2005 | #6,927 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2004 | #10,148 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #8,141 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2002 | #9,037 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #6,588 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1999 | #15,141 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #14,881 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Emiya Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are fine when in harmony but changeable when in discord, because many of your best qualities are then reversed. You are entertaining but may be impulsive. Freedom is a necessity, and you find it difficult to settle down. Your versatility results in many changes, and often brings travel. Your fine intellect is capable of high honors if applied seriously. You are capable of inspired thinking applied to material things. You can be restless, changeable, and very sexy. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Emiya's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Emiya's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.