Emilio
Meaning
rival, eager
The story
Emilio has been on the American books every single decade since the 1890s, a continuity few names of Spanish and Italian heritage can match. The root is Roman, the family name Aemilius, traditionally linked to a word for rival, one who strives. For six straight decades the name held a steady pace, between about 1,100 and 2,000 boys a decade from the 1920s through the 1970s, the signature of a name sustained by families rather than fashion. Then it compounded: about 2,700 in the 1980s, 6,800 in the 1990s, 10,200 in the 2000s, 12,800 in the 2010s, and 12,100 so far this decade. The 1980s were also the years Emilio Estevez led ensemble casts, a nudge the decades can suggest but never prove. Around it sits a whole Roman family, Emiliano, Emil, Emile, and on the girls' side Emilia and Emily. Our records file Emilio itself as a boys' name outright, about 54,000 to 58.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Emilio peaked in the 2020s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
17,175 people · the #1,172 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 11,765 · median age 54
Among people named Emilio living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1960s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 300 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
The Emilio deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Emilio 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 Emilio fits with your family’s names and surname.
Where Emilio travels
Mexican American · rival, eager (Spanish form of Emil)
Italian American · a steady classic
Filipino · rival, industrious (President Emilio Aguinaldo)
Keep exploring
Names like Emilio · Italian American baby names · Spanish baby names · Filipino baby names · Mexican American baby names
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