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Emilia: An Exploration of Name Origin and Meaning

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Emilia Overview

  • Meaning: Strong
  • Gender: Female
  • Origin: Italian
  • Pronunciation: “Eh-meal-ya” or “Em-i-lee-a”
  • Popularity: 40th in the US
  • Nicknames: Emmy, Mia
  • Variations: Emmilia, Emmilea
  • Namesakes: Emilia Clarke, Emilia McCarthy, Emilia Eberle

What Does Emilia Mean?

Emilia means strength. While this name sounds like Amelia, the names have very different meanings and origins. Amelia is a Germanic name, while Emilia is a name with a Latin origin.

What is the Origin of the Name Emilia?

The origin of Emilia is Italian. It comes from the Latin word aemulus, which may also mean emulate or excel.

How Popular is the Name Emilia?

Emilia has been in or near the top 1,000 most popular names in the United States since 1900. Between 1900 and the early 1930s, the name hovered around the 500th through 700th most popular names.

Between the mid-1930s and 1999, Emilia dipped in popularity and hovered around the 800-1,000th most popular name. The name experienced a resurgence in popularity at the beginning of the 21st century. Between 2000 and 2021, the name climbed from 625th most popular to 40th most popular (1).

Outside of the United States, Emilia is a popular name throughout Europe. In particular, it is popular in Poland, Austria, and Sweden.

How Do I Pronounce Emilia?

You can pronounce Emilia as “Eh-meal-ya” or “Em-i-lee-a.”

Is Emilia a Boy or Girl Name?

People primarily use Emilia as a name for girls.

Variations of Emilia

Emilia is a name that provides a lot of opportunity for variation. Some variations of Emilia come from all of the spelling variations offered by the vowels in Emilia. Other variations come from cultures throughout Europe. For example, the name Emily is the English version of Emilia.

  • Emily
  • Emilie
  • Emma
  • Amelia
  • Amelie
  • Amiliya
  • Emilya
  • Emiliya
  • Emiliano
  • Aemilia
  • Emelia
  • Emilio
  • Emmly
  • Emmalee
  • Emmaleea
  • Emmalia
  • Emmali
  • Emileea
  • Emiliea
  • Milia

Nicknames for Emilia

If you want to give your child a name with plenty of opportunities for nicknames, Emilia is a great option. You can break down almost any component of the name into a nickname. You can also add additional words to nicknames to add some fun.

  • Em
  • M
  • E
  • Emmy
  • Emily
  • Lia
  • Mila
  • Emi
  • Mia
  • Mily
  • Mila
  • Milia
  • Emil
  • Lila
  • Li
  • Mi
  • Ilia
  • Lala
  • Emili-Laser
  • Mimi

Similar Names to Emilia

Some names share components of Emilia but are very different names. These names are perfect if you like some aspects of Emilia, but you would rather use a different name. These names may have similar origins, share common sounds, or have a similar journey through popularity.

Middle Names for Emilia

Since Emilia is such a feminine name, you can approach its middle name pairing in many ways. You can reaffirm the femininity of the name with a feminine middle name, or you can balance it out with a more unisex or masculine middle name. Emilia also pairs beautifully with other names with similar origins or levels of popularity.

Sibling Names for Emilia

If you already have a child named Emilia, you may want to know a name that goes well with your existing child’s name. Try pairing names with a similar origin, sounds in common, or similar popularity. Always ensure that you give children names that support an individual identity and go well together.

Famous People Named Emilia

Even though Emilia is not a common name in pop culture, it has been reasonably popular throughout history. As a result, Emilia can be found as the name for actresses, athletes, revolutionaries, and sailors. As the British actress Emilia Clarke became well known in Game of Thrones in the early 2000s, the name saw increased popularity.

  • Emilia Clarke: British actress.
  • Emilia McCarthy: Canadian actress.
  • Emilia Eberle: Romanian gymnast.
  • Emilia Rotter: Hungarian figure skater.
  • Emilia Rydberg: Ethiopian-Swedish pop singer.
  • Emilia Appelqvist: Swedish soccer player.
  • Emilia Attías: Argentine actress.
  • Emilia Broomé: Swedish politician.
  • Emilia Cano: Spanish race walker.
  • Dorina Emilia Carbune: Romanian handball player.
  • Emilia Dafni: Greek writer.
  • Emilia Fox: British actress.
  • Emilia Gierczak: Polish soldier.
  • Emilia Lanier: English poet.
  • Emilia Pardo Bazan: Spanish writer.
  • Emilia Plater: Polish patriot and revolutionary.
  • Emilia Ramboldt: Swedish ice hockey player.
  • Emilia Tsoulfa: Greek sailor.
  • Emília Vášáryová: Slovak actress.

Emilia in Popular Culture

Emilia is a somewhat rarer name in popular culture than similar names like Amelia and Emily, but some important popular culture figures still have this name. Some of these are anime figures, and one is a Shakespeare character.

  • Emilia: Othello.
  • Emilia: Digital: A Love Story.
  • Emilia Ridderfjell: The Bert Diaries.
  • Emilia: Re: Zero.
  • Emilia: The Devil Is a Part-Timer!
  • Emilia: “Emily” O’Malley: Delicious.
  • Emilia: Sitio do Picapau Amarelo.
  • Emilia: The Decameron.

Emilia FAQs

Is There a Male Version of Emilia?

The male version of Emilia is Emilio. It has the same origin as Emilia. Some other male names that sound like Emilia include Emil, Emiliano, and Emile. Even though they sound similar, these names have different origins and meanings than Emilia.

Do Any Other Names Have the Same Meaning As Emilia?

Emilia means strong or rival, but quite a few names mean strong. These names include Anders, Aila, Andrea, Andrew, Audrey, Bedelia, Barrett, Bridget, Drew, and Gabriel.

A few names share the meaning of rival with Emilia. These names include Aila, Ailene, Eileen, Maxim, Maximilian, Maximilianus, and Nadeeda. As you can tell, many of these names seem related to Emilia. So, they may come from the same root as Emilia. Some names, such as Emil, Emily, and Emiliana, mean rival.

What Is the Origin of Amelia?

While Emilia comes from the Latin word aemulus, which means rival, Amelia comes from the Germanic word Amal, which means work.

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