Empress
Girl name · #2317 in 2025 · Very rare
How old is the name Empress? In official American birth records, Empress has been tracked continuously since 1986, giving it 39 years of documented American history.
Empress ranks #2317 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 79 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #2646, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 22,785 girls born in 2025 was named Empress.
Babies named Empress per year. Source: Official national birth records.
The 39-year story
Empress first appears in the Social Security records in 1986, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 2019, when 157 girls were named Empress — good for #1423 that year. Today's parents encounter it on its way down the popularity curve, which for many parents is exactly the appeal. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Empress against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Empress in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Empress is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Empress will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Empress is most common
State-level data for Empress is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Empress
Statistically, parents drawn to Empress tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Cypress, Heiress, Goddess, Everett, and Evianna.
CypressHeiressGoddessEverettEviannaEmmylouEllamaeEmmarie
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Empress | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 79 | #2298 |
| 2024 | 97 | #2011 |
| 2023 | 117 | #1750 |
| 2022 | 120 | #1731 |
| 2021 | 122 | #1698 |
| 2020 | 135 | #1559 |
| 2019 | 157 | #1423 |
| 2018 | 107 | #1878 |
| 2017 | 109 | #1863 |
| 2016 | 97 | #2033 |
| 2015 | 67 | #2646 |
| 2014 | 53 | #3112 |
| 2013 | 37 | #4002 |
| 2012 | 38 | #3988 |
| 2011 | 34 | #4244 |
| 2010 | 35 | #4180 |
| 2009 | 34 | #4370 |
| 2008 | 37 | #4179 |
| 2007 | 26 | #5377 |
| 2006 | 24 | #5545 |
| 2005 | 15 | #7500 |
| 2004 | 14 | #7828 |
| 2003 | 24 | #5092 |
| 2002 | 21 | #5444 |
| 2001 | 11 | #8758 |
Frequently asked questions
How old is the name Empress?
In official American birth records, the name Empress first appeared in 1986 (over 39 years ago), when 5 newborn girls received the name. It has been tracked in modern national records for 39 years.
Is Empress a popular girl name?
Empress ranked #2317 among girls in 2025 with 79 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2646.
When was the name Empress most popular?
Empress peaked in 2019, when 157 American girls received the name (ranked #1423 that year). Since 2019 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Empress?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 22,785 newborn American girls was named Empress. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.