Emilia
Emilia is a girls' name of Latin origin meaning “rival, industrious, striving.” It ranked #12 in the United States in 2025. The feminine form of the Roman family name Aemilius, possibly from the Latin aemulus meaning rival.
how do you pronounce Emilia?
eh-MEE-lee-ah
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Emilia mean?
The name Emilia means “rival, industrious, striving.” It comes from the Latin language tradition.
The feminine form of the Roman family name Aemilius, possibly from the Latin aemulus meaning rival. It is borne by Shakespeare's characters and the actress Emilia Clarke of Game of Thrones fame.
where does the name Emilia come from?
From the Roman family name Aemilius, generally traced to aemulus, meaning rival or emulous. It is unrelated to Amelia, which comes from the Germanic amal meaning work, though the two names have been so thoroughly confused that many sources now gloss both as industrious.
the history of Emilia
The Aemilii were one of Rome's oldest patrician families, and the Via Aemilia they built across northern Italy still names the Emilia-Romagna region. Shakespeare used the name twice, most substantially for Iago's wife in Othello, whose final refusal to stay silent turns the play. It has risen sharply across Europe and the Americas since 2000.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2024 | #12 |
| 2023 | #13 |
| 2022 | #15 |
| 2021 | #18 |
| 2020 | #21 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Emilia?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Emilia?
- Emilia Clarke
- Emilia Fox
what names are similar to Emilia?
what names go well with Emilia?
Sibling names that share Emilia's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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