Fun Facts About the Name Emrys
- More than 1 thousand babies named Emrys: U.S. records list 1,648 babies given the name Emrys from 1880 through 2025. Even 340 girls received the name Emrys - about 1 girl for every 4 boys.
What Does the Name Emrys Mean?
Emrys is the Welsh form of the Latin name Ambrosius, which derives from the Greek ambrosios, meaning "immortal" or "belonging to the gods." The Greek word is formed from a- ("not") and brotos ("mortal"), and it is related to ambrosia, the food of the gods in Greek myth. The Welsh form shortened and reshaped the Latin name, dropping the ending and shifting the vowels, so that Ambrosius became Emrys.
Emrys Name History & Origins
Emrys came into Welsh from the Latin Ambrosius, a Roman family name used in late antiquity and borne by figures such as Aurelius Ambrosius, the fourth-century bishop of Milan known in English as Saint Ambrose. In Welsh tradition the name is attached to Ambrosius Aurelianus, a Romano-British leader of the fifth century whom the British writer Gildas names as a commander in the resistance to the Saxons. Welsh sources call him Emrys Wledig, roughly "Emrys the ruler" or "Emrys the prince."
The ninth-century Latin compilation known as the Historia Brittonum, associated with Nennius, tells of a boy named Ambrosius who reveals two dragons, one red and one white, fighting in a pool beneath a hill. That hill in Gwynedd is called Dinas Emrys, "the fortress of Emrys," tying the place name to the figure. Geoffrey of Monmouth, writing in the twelfth century, drew on this Ambrosius story for his Merlin, whom he calls Merlinus Ambrosius; in later Welsh tradition Merlin is often named Myrddin Emrys.
Beyond these historical and literary figures, Emrys has been used as a personal name in Wales, and it appears among modern Welsh public figures, including the politician Emrys Roberts and the actor Emrys James. The name's use in Welsh writing is documented from the medieval period; its use as an everyday given name is attested in later centuries.
How Popular is the Name Emrys?
Emrys 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 2024. Its best rank was #1,138 in 2024.
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 | #4,483 | 31 | 0.0019% |
| 2024 | #3,705 | 41 | 0.0025% |
| 2023 | #4,592 | 30 | 0.0019% |
| 2022 | #4,141 | 35 | 0.0021% |
| 2021 | #3,820 | 39 | 0.0024% |
| 2020 | #4,926 | 26 | 0.0016% |
| 2019 | #6,801 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2018 | #6,611 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2017 | #6,119 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2016 | #6,245 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2015 | #6,097 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2014 | #8,618 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #7,503 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2012 | #15,547 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #13,918 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,260 | 157 | 0.0092% |
| 2024 | #1,138 | 184 | 0.0107% |
| 2023 | #1,623 | 107 | 0.0063% |
| 2022 | #1,861 | 85 | 0.0049% |
| 2021 | #1,463 | 123 | 0.0070% |
| 2020 | #1,790 | 84 | 0.0049% |
| 2019 | #1,613 | 102 | 0.0057% |
| 2018 | #1,902 | 78 | 0.0043% |
| 2017 | #2,056 | 68 | 0.0037% |
| 2016 | #2,098 | 67 | 0.0035% |
| 2015 | #2,417 | 53 | 0.0028% |
| 2014 | #2,281 | 58 | 0.0030% |
| 2013 | #2,186 | 60 | 0.0032% |
| 2012 | #2,973 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 2011 | #9,945 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #8,335 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #10,171 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #13,128 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2006 | #12,612 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2005 | #11,977 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #9,724 | 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 Emrys 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.
✦ Emrys's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Emrys's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.