Just a few decades ago, things were not looking so hot for the name Emma. The name had been steadily declining in popularity in the U.S. since the start of the century. By the mid-1970s, only several hundred newborns were named Emma every year.

But then the 1980s came along. Emma suddenly became fashionable again, and that long, slow decline quickly corrected itself. Emma became one of the top 100 baby names in the nation in 1993, then went on to crack the top 10 in 2002.

Emma is currently the second most popular baby name in the United States, and it's been in that spot for four years in a row. (The only female name more popular than Emma is Emily.) In 2006, nearly 19,000 baby girls were named Emma (...while over 21,000 were named Emily).

It's interesting to note that Emma isn't appealing to American parents only. The name has been concurrently climbing charts across the globe, especially in Northern European countries (e.g. Finland, France, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Scotland and Sweden).

This simple-yet-suddenly-popular name can be traced back to a Germanic word that meant "entire" or "whole." (Ironically, the decidedly unfashionable name Irma comes from the same source.) Certain Emmas may have alternate origins for their names -- for instance, they may have been named in honor of specific relatives with longer monikers like Emerald, Emerson, Emiliana, Emmanuelle, Emmeline, Emmerich and Emmett.

Notable Emmas include Academy Award-winning English actress Emma Thompson, Lithuanian-born anarchist Emma Goldman, "Baby Spice" Emma Lee Bunton, and the fictional Emma Woodhouse of Jane Austen's classic novel Emma.

And now for the big question: Does Emma have enough momentum to become the #1 name in the U.S.?

There's no way to definitively know, but I think there's a decent chance Emma claimed the top spot in 2007. We'll have to wait until May (when the data is released) to find out whether Emma was able to break Emily's 11-year streak as the most popular baby name in the nation...