Emma Alternatives Part Three

Elva is the anglicized version of Ailbhe, growing more popular in Ireland.

A Slavic variation of Helen that might make an unusual update of that classic name.

This phonetic Anglicization of the Irish name Eithne was made familiar by the single-named Irish singer and composer. St. Eithne was the daughter of a king and an early Irish convert to Christianity.

Name that enjoyed some popularity early in the 20th century but now is locked in another, ahem, era.

Once, believe it or not, seemed more stylish than Irma.

That er sound -- as in Myrna, Myrtle, and Bernice -- sounds terminally dated.

Esha is a lovely Indian name that would work well outside the Indian sub-continent, perhaps as a substitute to the more unisex Asher.

Turkish and Bosnian form of the Arabic name Asma, with the powerful meaning of "supreme".

Thanks to the surprise hit revival of Etta James' song At Last and because of recent interest in vintage style nicknames, Etta has established herself as a possible successor to Emma and Ella. Back in the US Top 1000 as of 2023 and rising rapidly up the UK charts, where it sits in the Top 200, Etta is a snappy, smart and sparky choice.

Eula is a slightly sweeter and more compact version of Eulalia. Currently, neither name is given to more than a handful of girls each year. Eula was fairly popular in the US during the early twentieth century, and she last ranked in the Top 1000 in 1960.

Eva is a simple, classic Hebrew name for girls that recently slipped out of the US Top 100 for the first time in more than a decade. Pronounced either like her more popular sister Ava or less popular sister Eve, Eva is one of the elite group of girl names that mean life.