Emelia
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Meaning
variant of Amelia from the Germanic element amal, of uncertain meaning and possibly linked to the Amali dynasty or to 'unceasing, vigorous, brave'; unrelated to Emilia
Say it: uh-MEE-lee-uh
Goes by Millie, Milly. See all nicknames
The story
Emelia looks one letter away from Emilia, but the reference trail points elsewhere. It is a variant of Amelia and belongs to the Germanic amal family; the element's meaning is uncertain, with proposals connecting it to the Amali dynasty or to senses such as unceasing, vigorous and brave. Emilia instead descends from the Roman Aemilius. The resemblance is visual, not a shared origin. In the US record, Emelia starts with about 270 girls in the 1890s and remains present in every decade, including its quietest total of 134 in the 1960s. It then rises to about 2,100 in the 2000s, 5,000 in the 2010s and 3,530 so far this decade. About 13,800 girls appear across the series; male entries are absent from the published record. Millie and Milly are documented diminutives, small bridges back to Amelia without turning Emelia into Emilia.
How popular is Emelia around the world?
In the United States, 3,530 babies were named Emelia between 2020 and 2025. In South Australia, 3 girls were registered as Emelia in 2017.
Emelia is on the official records of the United States, South Australia, Scotland, Canada, England and Wales, Ireland, Mexico City, Spain and Brazil.
United States
1 in 6,200
In the United States, 3,530 babies were named Emelia between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Emelia peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
South Australia
1 in 6,1002017
In South Australia, 3 girls were registered as Emelia in 2017.
The count never rose above 9 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Scotland
1 in 6,500
In Scotland, 7 girls named Emelia were registered in 2024, the 431st most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
Canada
1 in 7,600
In Canada, 48 girls named Emelia were born in 2024, the 597th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
England and Wales
1 in 9,000
In England and Wales, 65 girls named Emelia were born in 2025, the 596th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
Ireland
1 in 18,000
In Ireland, 3 girls named Emelia were born in 2025, the 885th most common name among girls that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Mexico City City
1 in 120,000
In Mexico City, there was 1 registration of Emelia in 2022.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Spain
1 in 420,000
In Spain, 107 residents are named Emelia, ranked 7,363rd among women, with a mean age of 59.9 years.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Brazil
1 in 1M
At the 2022 census, 153 people in Brazil were named Emelia, ranked 30,667th, with a median age of 63.
Among people named Emelia living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1950s than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
Argentina
last on record 2020
Emelia is not on the 2024 record for Argentina, where small counts are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
Austria
last on record 2021
Emelia is not on the 2025 record for Austria, which publishes every first name down to a single birth, so the name was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 2 in a year, too few to chart.
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
New Zealand
last on record 2023
Emelia is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Not on the record in Puerto Rico and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Emelia
Most people given the name Emelia in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Emelia deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Emelia truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Emelia fits with your family’s names and surname.
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