Emanuelson comes from a football-playing family. His father Errol Emanuelson was a professional footballer who played for S.V. Robinhood in Suriname and Sint-Niklaas in Belgium before settling in Amsterdam. His older brother Julian Emanuelson, also a product of the Ajax Youth Academy, played professionally for HFC Haarlem, and for Lustenau in Austria. His sister Sharifa Emanuelson, a former basketball player, and his cousin Roché Emanuelson has played for various clubs in the SVB Hoofdklasse and for the Suriname national team. His maternal cousin is Hertha BSC midfielder Jean-Paul Boëtius. Emanuelson said he grew up idolising Clarence Seedorf and played together with him against England on 15 November 2006, describing it as "great to play with."
