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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Emma f. Originally a hypocoristic of various names beginning with Old High German ermen, Old Saxon irmin 'strong', the name quickly gained existence as an independent name.

The name of an 11th C queen consort of England, Denmark, and Norway, and an 11th C Austrian saint.

The English diminutive Emmot and the vernacular form Em are witnessed in 1379 in the relational bynames Emmot'sone (WRYPT1 p. 40) and Emsoñ WRYPT1 p. 163).

Austria
Latin
1074x1087 Hemma (nom) UrkStyria 77
Belgium
Latin
1050 Emma (nom) CRS-2-5 p. 232
England
Latin
1155 Emmæ (gen) FPD p. 121, fn. 1; 1189 Ema (nom) GASurv p. 115, Emma (nom) ibid. p. 199, Imma (nom) ibid. p. 156; 1222 Emma (nom) StPaulDom p. 2, emme (gen) ibid. p. 39; 1256 Emma (nom) EARNb p. 2, Emmam (acc) ibid. p. 2; 1279–80 Emma (nom) WaHR-SK p. 42, Emmam (acc) ibid. p. 56, Emme (dat) ibid. p. 37; 1300 Emma (nom) ProcSuf-vol3 p. 237; 1321 Emme (gen) PSS-CXIV 6; 1340xc1450 Emma (nom) CovGuild-1 p. 2; 1377 Emma (nom) FenPT-2 p. 5; 1379 Emma (nom) WRYPT1 p. 2; 1381 Emma (nom) FenPT-2 p. 6, Suffolk1381 p. 68, Emme (nom) ibid. p. 73; 1562 Emma (nom) RegSoAMar p. 3; 1564 Emma (nom) ibid. p. 4; 1567 Emma (nom) RegSoABap p. 14; 1571 Emma (nom) ibid. p. 17
1377 Emmota (nom) FenPT-2 p. 4; 1379 Emmot' (nom) WRYPT1 p. 6, Emmote (gen) ibid. p. 17, Emot' (nom) ibid. p. 15, Emota (nom) ibid. p. 15; 1423 Emmotæ (gen) WillsInv L; 1485–1486 Emmota (abl) CovGuild-2 p. 73; 1559/60 Emott (nom) Chst-1 p. 10; 1565 Emmota (nom) RegSoAMar p. 4
Middle English
1418 Emet EEW p. 33, Emot ibid. p. 33
Early Modern English
1530 Em LIWill-III p. 21; 1540 Eme BEmar-vol1 p. 2; 1545 Emme StNick-Sf p. 2; 1547 Emme WAmar-1 p. 107; 1549 Emma StAnthonlin p. 7; 1550 Eme ibid. p. 8; 1551 Emme WAmar-1 p. 108; 1552 Eme BEmar-vol1 p. 4; 1558 Em SOmar-vol9 p. 1; 1559 Emme BEmar-vol2 p. 53; 1560 Eme COmar-vol2 p. 47, Emma HAmar-vol9 p. 2; 1564 Em BarnstapleBap p. 13, Eme BEmar-vol1 p. 7; 1565 Eme WAmar-1 p. 75; 1566 Eme BEmar-vol1 p. 8, COmar-vol2 p. 48; 1566/7 Emma RegSoABap p. 13; 1567 Emme SaxhamSf p. 2; 1568 Emma ExMar 2b; 1570 Emma BUmar-vol2 p. 61; 1571 Eme BEmar-vol2 p. 2, Emme RegSoAMar p. 6; 1575 Emma HAmar-vol9 p. 15; 1576 Em OrpingtonKe p. 4, Eme BEmar-vol2 p. 2; 1580 Eme HAmar-vol9 p. 68; 1581 Emme RegSoAMar p. 10; 1584 Eme DEmar-vol2 p. 10, Emme RegSoAMar p. 11; 1586 Emma BUmar-vol2 p. 64; 1588 Emm DEmar-vol2 p. 16; 1592 Eme HAmar-vol9 p. 140; 1593 Em COmar-vol2 p. 72; 1594 Em BUmar-vol9 p. 8, COmar-vol2 p. 72; 1596 Eme DEmar-vol2 p. 33, Emme RegSoAMar p. 17; 1598 Eme BEmar-vol1 p. 17; 1599 Em DEmar-vol2 p. 40, Emm COmar-vol2 p. 24
1530 Emmot LIWill-III p. 40, Emot ibid. p. 28; 1555 Emet BarnstapleBap p. 9, Emott bruton1 p. 27; 1560 Emmyn ibid. p. 110; 1572 Emott ibid. p. 40; 1575 Emmott COmar-vol2 p. 122; 1580 Emote DEmar-vol1 p. 84, Emott bruton1 p. 44; 1598 Emmett ibid. p. 125
France
Latin
a993? Emma (nom) CartSavII 103, Emmę (gen) ibid. 103; 1000? Emma (nom) ibid. 9; 1064x1079 Ema (nom) StVdM-II 690; 1131 Ema (nom) CartNDSaintes XXIII; 1180 Emme (gen) RotScaNor p. 34
Germany
Latin
822x875 Emme (abl) TradCorb §21; 1016 Hemme (dat) UrkStyria 38, Hemmę (gen) ibid. 37
Ireland
Latin
fin12thC Emme (gen) MunDocIr III, p. 5
Italy
Latin
1113 Emme (gen) CartNDJosaphat III
Scotland
Latin
1426/7 Emmote (dat) RMSRS-2 79
Spain
Latin
875 Emmone (abl) CDCB-XV MMXVI; 896 Emmo (nom) ibid. MMXIX, Emmone (abl) ibid. MMXIX; 899 Hemmone (abl) ibid. MMXXII; 1006 Ema (abl) ibid. MMCLXV, Emam (acc) ibid. MMCLXV
Switzerland
Latin
1215 Emma (nom) CartHaut 34
Cite as: J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Emma". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2019, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2019/1/name/Emma.