girl's name
Emagene
EM-uh-jeen (English)
- Origin English, Gaelic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Births on record 206
Emagene is a vintage American girl's name, a phonetic spelling of Imogene that was used mainly in the early twentieth century. Imogene descends from Imogen, a Shakespeare heroine whose name is thought to be a misprint of Innogen, probably from Gaelic ingen, "maiden."
- Emagene is a name of English, Gaelic origin.
- Peaked in 1924, when 18 babies were given the name.
- It is a recent arrival in the birth records.
- First appears in US birth records in 1917.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Emagene Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2010s.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 21 |
| 1920s | 123 |
| 1930s | 51 |
| 1940s | 6 |
| 1950s | 0 |
| 1960s | 0 |
| 1970s | 0 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 5 |
What Emagene Means
Emagene means maiden if it's traced to its likeliest root. Its link to that sense runs through Imogene, the American form of Imogen, and the spelling mainly records how the name was pronounced.
Where Emagene Comes From
Shakespeare's Cymbeline features a princess printed as Imogen in the 1623 folio. Sources Shakespeare used give the name as Innogen, so the letters nn were probably misread as m. Innogen is generally connected with Gaelic ingen, a daughter or maiden. The stage name spread into everyday use, and American parents favored Imogene, with a long final syllable. Emagene then arose as a phonetic spelling in the 1910s and 1920s, when many families spelled names as they heard them. More4Kids and NameDiscoveries both treat it as a variant of Imogene. A proposed link to the word image has no support.
Emagene in Use
Spellings like this one thrived before standardized records, when a registrar or parent wrote down what they heard. The comedian Imogene Coca helped keep the main form familiar in midcentury America.
How Popular Is Emagene?
In 2016, Emagene was given to 5 babies in the United States. It was given to fewer than five babies in the most recent year of published figures for the United States.
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Emagene
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Emagene Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Emagene over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Emagene
- English EM-uh-jeen
Emagene in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling Names for Emagene
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Emagene — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Emagene
What does the name Emagene mean?
It's a spelling of Imogene, a name usually traced to a Gaelic word for maiden.
Is Emagene the same as Imogene?
Yes, in effect. It's an early American phonetic spelling.
How do you pronounce Emagene?
EM-uh-jeen, with a long final syllable.
How popular is the name Emagene?
In 2016, Emagene was given to 5 babies in the United States. It was given to fewer than five babies in the most recent year of published figures for the United States.
Is Emagene a girl's or a boy's name?
Emagene is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Emagene?
Emagene has 3 syllables.
When was Emagene most popular?
Emagene peaked in 1924, when 18 babies were given the name. It is a recent arrival in the birth records.