Emmet: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Emmet is an Irish boy's name given in honour of the patriot Robert Emmet. Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Gender
- Boy
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 829 for boys (2025)
How do you pronounce Emmet?
Emmet is pronounced EM-it. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first.
What does Emmet mean?
The name is given to boys as a mark of respect to the great Irish orator and patriot Robert Emmet who was a leader of the unsuccessful 1798 rebellion against the British. He was captured on August 25, 1803 and tried for high treason and sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered. When asked if he had any thing to say in response to this sentence Emmet gave what is considered to be one of the most moving speeches of the period: “…When my country takes her place among the nations of the earth, then, and not till then, let my epitaph be written. I have done.”
How popular is Emmet in Ireland?
In 2025, 3 baby boys in Ireland were named Emmet, which made it No. 829 that year. That's down from No. 257 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 1992, when 75 baby boys were named Emmet, No. 82 that year. It first appears in the records in 1965, with 5 baby boys.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | No. 829 |
| 2024 | 4 | No. 655 |
| 2023 | 4 | No. 660 |
| 2022 | 7 | No. 454 |
| 2021 | 6 | No. 498 |
| 2020 | 8 | No. 433 |
| 2019 | 19 | No. 244 |
| 2018 | 14 | No. 306 |
| 2017 | 11 | No. 356 |
| 2016 | 16 | No. 283 |
| 2015 | 19 | No. 257 |
| 2014 | 15 | No. 302 |
| 2013 | 17 | No. 276 |
| 2012 | 21 | No. 250 |
| 2011 | 28 | No. 204 |
| 2010 | 24 | No. 229 |
| 2009 | 31 | No. 185 |
| 2008 | 19 | No. 247 |
| 2007 | 27 | No. 186 |
| 2006 | 27 | No. 173 |
| 2005 | 35 | No. 141 |
| 2004 | 33 | No. 139 |
| 2003 | 38 | No. 126 |
| 2002 | 34 | No. 129 |
| 2001 | 38 | No. 118 |
| 2000 | 41 | No. 113 |
| 1999 | 26 | No. 133 |
| 1998 | 45 | No. 95 |
| 1997 | 53 | No. 96 |
| 1996 | 58 | No. 99 |
| 1995 | 49 | No. 104 |
| 1994 | 57 | No. 95 |
| 1993 | 59 | No. 97 |
| 1992 | 75 | No. 82 |
| 1991 | 65 | No. 90 |
| 1990 | 70 | No. 88 |
| 1989 | 49 | No. 99 |
| 1988 | 46 | No. 105 |
| 1987 | 54 | No. 97 |
| 1986 | 64 | No. 91 |
| 1985 | 53 | No. 101 |
| 1984 | 49 | No. 108 |
| 1983 | 54 | No. 101 |
| 1982 | 58 | No. 102 |
| 1981 | 75 | No. 87 |
| 1980 | 51 | No. 110 |
| 1979 | 53 | No. 108 |
| 1978 | 67 | No. 98 |
| 1977 | 44 | No. 114 |
| 1976 | 50 | No. 107 |
| 1975 | 41 | No. 114 |
| 1974 | 29 | No. 128 |
| 1973 | 40 | No. 117 |
| 1972 | 32 | No. 125 |
| 1971 | 28 | No. 131 |
| 1970 | 20 | No. 146 |
| 1969 | 28 | No. 115 |
| 1968 | 19 | No. 134 |
| 1967 | 16 | No. 137 |
| 1966 | 13 | No. 144 |
| 1965 | 5 | No. 207 |
Emmet in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Emmet, letter by letter.
- EEadhadh, aspen
- MMuin, vine
- MMuin, vine
- EEadhadh, aspen
- TTinne, holly
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Emmet
Questions about Emmet
- How do you pronounce Emmet?
- Emmet is pronounced EM-it. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- Is Emmet a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Emmet is a boy's name.
- How popular is Emmet in Ireland?
- In 2025, Emmet was No. 829 for boys in Ireland, with 3 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 1992, at No. 82.