Emelia
Emelia was the 601st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 488 babies. Its best year was 1883, when it ranked 333rd; the most babies were born in 2019 (701). Over the last ten years it has moved down 10 places. More babies were named Emelia in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning variant of Emilia or Amelia · Latin
Say it uh-MEE-lee-uh /əˈmiliə/
- Rank in 2025
- #601 girls, down 149 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 488girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2019701 babies
- Total since 1880
- 14,028babies recorded
What does the name Emelia mean?
Emelia is a spelling variant that sits between Emilia and Amelia; Wiktionary lists it as a form of Emilia. Emilia, like Emily, goes back to Aemilia, the feminine of the Roman family name Aemilius, which DMNES and Wiktionary connect, possibly, with aemulus, rival or vying. DMNES files medieval Emilia under Emily. Amelia is a different name, from a Germanic element amal-, vigor; DMNES notes the two were confused very early. Because the two names sound alike in English, parents who choose Emelia may intend either one, so its meaning depends on which name it is spelled after.
Aemilia (Latin, “feminine of the gens name Aemilius”)aemulus (Latin, “rival, emulating”)
How sure is this? Probable. Spelling variant; its meaning is that of Emilia (Latin) or, for some families, Amelia (Germanic). The Aemilius-aemulus link is the traditional explanation.
Related names: Emilia, Emily, Amelia, Amalia, Emmy.
See also: Latin names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Emelia' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Emily' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Emily', DMNES (Durham University)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Emil', DMNES (Durham University)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Amelia', DMNES (Durham University)
Nicknames for Emelia
The usual nicknames for Emelia are Millie and Emmy. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Emelia in the last five years, 447 were named Millie, against 70 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millie · also for Amelia, Emilia, Emily | Modern | #73 | 12,731 |
| Emmy · also for Emilia, Emily, Emma | Modern | #445 | 3,181 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Emelias go by each one.
Emelia popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #601 | 488 |
| 2020 | #452 | 683 |
| 2010 | #805 | 339 |
| 2000 | #1,560 | 114 |
| 1990 | #2,353 | 53 |
| 1980 | #3,434 | 24 |
| 1970 | #6,541 | 7 |
| 1960 | #3,556 | 13 |
| 1950 | #2,017 | 23 |
| 1940 | #1,911 | 18 |
| 1930 | #1,166 | 41 |
| 1920 | #1,091 | 47 |
| 1910 | #784 | 30 |
| 1900 | #731 | 25 |
| 1890 | #435 | 34 |
| 1880 | #503 | 12 |
How popular is Emelia, counting every spelling?
Emelia is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #575 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #601 for Emelia on its own. Together these spellings went to 525 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emelia | 488 | #601 | 2,847 |
| Emmelia | 37 | #3,926 | 150 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Emelia?
488 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Emelia (0.14 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Emelia born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 17 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Emelia.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Emelia?
About 12,100 people born in the US named Emelia are alive today, with a median age of 11; half are between 6 and 18. That makes Emelia a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Emelia by state
How common Emelia was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wisconsin (2.1×), Connecticut (2.1×), Nevada (2.0×), Minnesota (1.8×), Arizona (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, Idaho, Utah.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Emelia: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Emelia, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Emelia · Sibling names for Emelia
Questions about the name Emelia
What does Emelia mean?
Emelia means “variant of Emilia or Amelia” (Latin origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Emelia?
Emelia was the 601st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 488 babies. Its best year was 1883, when it ranked 333rd; the most babies were born in 2019 (701). Over the last ten years it has moved down 10 places. More babies were named Emelia in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Emelia a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Emelia in the US.
Where is Emelia most popular?
In 2021–2025, Emelia was most common in Maine (1.16 per 1,000 girls), followed by Rhode Island and New Hampshire.