Emery

From the Germanic Emmerich, a compound of amal, work or industry, and ric, ruler, Emery arrived in England with the Normans and eventually slid into surname use. The word also names an abrasive mineral used for polishing blades, lending the name a faint metallurgical shimmer. In the twenty-first century it has tipped decisively toward girls, lifted by the broader American love of unisex surname-names with a softening y. It currently ranks 70 and is given to about one in 505 American babies. Three syllables with a touch of antique hardware, one medieval emperor in the attic, and a perfectly contemporary silhouette.