Amelia Name Meaning

Amelia is a beacon of strength, invoking images of American aviator Amelia Earhart and famed feminist Amelia Bloomer. She manages to radiate power despite her soft sound, easily teetering in either direction depending on the little girl she’s bestowed upon.

Amelia has taken the U.S. by storm, brushing off the dust of underuse to roar into the U.S. Top 10 at Number 8 in 2017. She’s a popular choice thanks to her trendy ending matching Sophia, Olivia, and Mia. There’s little doubt that she’ll remain a fixture up there, nestled in with her irresistible charm and familiar feels. Nineties babies may remember the Amelia Bedelia books, detailing the hilarious misunderstandings of the title character, giving this name a comical side as well.

A variant of Amalia, Amelia has a hefty share of nicknames for prospective parents to choose from including Lia, Mila, and Mimi. Meeley is another spunky option, a moniker that Amelia Earhart went by into adulthood.

Amelia will likely remain a go-to choice for many as her soft vowel start paired with M fits in well with favorites like Emily and Emma but is still distinguished enough on her own to stand out. The name ages beautifully, perfect for a little girl and busy professional alike.

Infographic of Amelia name meaning, which is Amelia is derived from the German word amal, meaning work.
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Amelia Name Popularity

How popular is the name Amelia? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 163 404 0.1147%
1911 175 383 0.1029%
1912 160 645 0.1279%
1913 159 689 0.1215%
1914 158 889 0.1276%
1915 163 1,095 0.1205%
1916 168 1,132 0.1172%
1917 172 1,138 0.1138%
1918 182 1,101 0.1026%
1919 180 1,067 0.1019%
1920 191 1,014 0.0912%
1921 200 977 0.0853%
1922 199 997 0.0895%
1923 205 932 0.0832%
1924 216 884 0.0761%
1925 217 855 0.0756%
1926 237 712 0.0647%
1927 236 723 0.0653%
1928 227 725 0.0678%
1929 243 621 0.06%
1930 239 631 0.0604%
1931 250 546 0.0553%
1932 243 601 0.0608%
1933 247 566 0.0608%
1934 267 493 0.051%
1935 254 571 0.0588%
1936 256 540 0.0561%
1937 245 616 0.0625%
1938 265 534 0.0522%
1939 287 436 0.0429%
1940 276 481 0.0453%
1941 281 490 0.0435%
1942 297 498 0.0394%
1943 294 513 0.0393%
1944 309 429 0.0346%
1945 312 428 0.0351%
1946 318 511 0.0346%
1947 341 510 0.0306%
1948 330 518 0.0324%
1949 319 550 0.0342%
1950 356 450 0.0279%
1951 345 492 0.029%
1952 351 502 0.0288%
1953 363 503 0.0284%
1954 382 458 0.0251%
1955 385 478 0.026%
1956 396 478 0.0253%
1957 394 497 0.0258%
1958 432 431 0.0228%
1959 423 466 0.0245%
1960 420 489 0.0258%
1961 406 527 0.0279%
1962 431 469 0.0255%
1963 429 469 0.0261%
1964 436 456 0.0259%
1965 428 434 0.0265%
1966 454 391 0.025%
1967 448 403 0.0266%
1968 497 341 0.0227%
1969 453 410 0.0266%
1970 452 443 0.0278%
1971 439 436 0.029%
1972 456 364 0.0267%
1973 435 401 0.0309%
1974 402 467 0.0359%
1975 391 486 0.0378%
1976 392 479 0.0372%
1977 359 570 0.0423%
1978 334 623 0.0463%
1979 332 678 0.0481%
1980 312 742 0.0507%
1981 288 817 0.0556%
1982 294 805 0.0539%
1983 306 718 0.0487%
1984 231 1,077 0.0724%
1985 249 996 0.0656%
1986 252 998 0.0661%
1987 254 978 0.0641%
1988 234 1,106 0.071%
1989 215 1,243 0.077%
1990 193 1,497 0.0903%
1991 193 1,528 0.0937%
1992 211 1,330 0.0833%
1993 220 1,228 0.0788%
1994 224 1,239 0.0807%
1995 233 1,189 0.0789%
1996 222 1,278 0.0854%
1997 228 1,290 0.0872%
1998 214 1,406 0.0939%
1999 219 1,410 0.0942%
2000 207 1,518 0.0994%
2001 199 1,618 0.1074%
2002 138 2,432 0.1623%
2003 111 3,089 0.203%
2004 96 3,350 0.2198%
2005 84 3,907 0.2555%
2006 83 4,061 0.2594%
2007 77 4,193 0.2658%
2008 68 4,346 0.2812%
2009 55 4,695 0.3141%
2010 41 5,455 0.3785%
2011 30 6,368 0.447%
2012 23 7,242 0.5082%
2013 17 8,032 0.5641%
2014 15 8,789 0.6032%
2015 12 9,852 0.6771%
2016 11 10,753 0.7458%
2017 8 11,800 0.8455%
2018 8 12,301 0.8953%
2019 7 12,862 0.9501%
2020 6 12,487 0.981%
2021 4 11,980 0.98%
2022 4 12,333 0.9349%

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Data via SSA.gov.


Names Like Amelia

If you like Amelia, you’ll love these other names like Amelia.


What names are diminutives of Amelia?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Amelia sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Amelia, but shorter.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Em

Industrious, striving; work; rival; laborious; eager; entire, universal; emerald

Spanish

Emmie

Industrious, striving; work; rival; laborious; eager; entire, universal; emerald

Spanish

Emmy

Rival

German

Meelia

Industrious, striving; work; plumeria

Latin

Melia

Plumeria

Polynesian

Millie

Gentle strength

English

Milly

Industrious, striving; work; helper to the priest; rival; laborious; eager; bee; honey; gentle strength; brave strength

Latin


What names are variants of Amelia?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Amelia.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Aemelia

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Aimiliona

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amalea

Industrious, striving; work; rival; laborious; eager

Latin

Amalee

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amaleta

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amalia

Industrious, striving; work; rival; laborious; eager

Latin

Amalie

Industrious, striving; work; rival; laborious; eager

Latin

Amalija

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amalina

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amaline

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amalita

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amaliya

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amaly

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amalya

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amalyna

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amalyne

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amalyta

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amelie

Industrious, striving; work; rival; laborious; eager

Latin

Amelina

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Ameline

Industrious, striving; work; rival; laborious; eager

Latin

Amelita

Industrious, striving; work; rival; laborious; eager

Latin

Ameliya

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amelya

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amelyna

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amelyne

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amelyta

Industrious, striving; work

Latin

Amilia

Amiable

Latin

Amiliya

Amiable

Latin

Amillia

Amiable

Latin

Amilya

Amiable

Latin

Amy

Beloved one

English

Emelie

Industrious, striving; work; rival; laborious; eager

Latin

Emelina

Industrious, striving; work; rival; laborious; eager; entire, universal

Latin

Emeline

Peaceful home

German

Emelita

Industrious, striving; work; rival; laborious; eager

Latin

Emma

Whole or universal

German

Emmeline

Work

German

Meline

Industrious, striving; work; sweet

Latin


What names sound like Amelia?

If you like how Amelia sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Amelia.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Amala

Hope

Arabic

Amel

Hope

Arabic

Camellia

Helper to the priest

Latin

Delia

From Delos

Greek

Emalia

Rival; laborious; eager

Latin

Emelea

Rival; laborious; eager

Latin

Emeli

Rival; laborious; eager

Latin

Emelia

Rival; laborious; eager

Latin

Emilia

To rival

Latin

Emily

To excel

Latin

Jamelia

Beautiful; lovely

Arabic

Mila

Dear and gracious

Slavic


What names are similar to Amelia?

Find a name that’s like Amelia, but just a little bit different.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Adelaide

Noble one

German

Adeline

Noble one

German

Audrey

Noble strength

English

Eleanor

Of unknown meaning

English

Elizabeth

God is my oath

Hebrew

Harriet

Home ruler

German

Heidi

Noble one

German

Lillian

Lily flower

English

Louise

Famous warrior

German

Madeline

Woman from Magdala

English


Lists With Amelia

Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Amelia.


Siblings of Amelia

Mamas with kids named Amelia also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Evelyn

Desired one

English

John

God is gracious

Hebrew

Julia

Youthful and downy

Latin

Eleanor

Of unknown meaning

English

Imogene

Maiden

Irish

Sophia

Wisdom

Greek

Braylon

Combination of Brayden and Waylon

American

Kamryn
Lillian

Lily flower

English

Millie

Gentle strength

English

59 Comments

  1. I’ve loved this name since I was 8 years old. It’s so classy and timeless. Her nickname is Milly 🙂

  2. Love it!

  3. Amelia is a very nice name, I met a girl named Amelia and she is super sweet. My bestie

  4. We choose it because we really liked the name! My husband actually got it from greys anatomy! It always stuck! Amelia also means hardworking! We thought that would be perfect !

  5. It is my sister’s name in Spanish, and my daughter is half-Mexican.

  6. I love the meaning of the name, industrious and hard-working, and it is a pretty name also which complements the middle name we chose for her.

  7. Etymology

  8. It was a name my husband and I both agreed on. I love her name?

  9. All my life I have been told I would not be able to get pregnant and have kids so it was a shock to find out I was pregnant last year. After seeing the first ultra sound, I knew it was a girl. I told my husband we needed a girls name. He said there is no way I could know but played along anyway. We wanted her middle name to be Jean after my aunt that recently passed away so we just needed a first name to blend well. When I herd Amelia I knew that was it however my husband took a bit more convincing. After some detailed research, Amelia is one of the female names that can be traced back to the Hebrew language. It means ‘Work of God’. That was all it took. He simply replied, ‘She shall be called Amelia Jean.’

    • I love my name Amelia but just don’t know why I want to change so I don’t know also my name is Amelia but one comment said Amelia Jean omg it just like my middle name but different my middle name is Jane

  10. ‘Amal’ isn’t a German word. Most likely Arabic or Hebrew.

  11. All the girls in my family have an A at the start of their name, so I wanted to keep the tradition alive. I am also half-Mexican. I wanted a name that my grandparents can say in Spanish.
    I love the name. My favorite part is the nickname Millie. I like how it has an old time nickname but she doesn’t have to be stuck with I if she doesn’t like that.

  12. We both created a list of names we loved and Amelia was on both of our short lists. We love her name!

  13. Fun story. My husband was watching princess diaries for the first time…
    Princess Amelia’s name stood out to him because he could say it in the languages he will teach our daughter, French, English and Spanish. The name stuck. As my pregnancy progressed I loved it more thinking about how our daughter would also become familiar with Amelia Earhart and how she was a pioneer in many ways.
    I love this quote by her, “The most difficult thing is the decision to act; the rest is merely tenacity.” Throughout our daughters life she will face a lot of challenges that will begin with a decision to act. If she can remember this and that she is a daughter of the most high God, she can do anything.

  14. it came to me in meditation

  15. I chose the name Amelia for my first girl over ten years ago. I love how feminine and elegant it sounds/looks. The only thing I remotely dislike about the name is how popular it has become but I understand why! It is perfect for my baby girl.

  16. We fell in love with the name and loved the nickname Millie. Then we saw that it means work/striving/perseverance and we knew it was her name because it took us 2.5 years and fertility treatments to get our rainbow girl!

  17. Amelia is a classic name. Also reminds me of Amelia Earhart.

  18. I think it was from one of your name videos honestly. I love old fashioned names and I think the name is so beautiful and old fashioned. My husband actually agreed to this name right after she was born and I said my first choice name but it didn’t feel right after seeing and holding her but Amelia just felt right. I actually am a huge believer in the power of prayers and had been praying for her name and Amelia was the last name I put on my favorite list before her birth as well as what I wrote before. So Amelia was a huge yes to me.

  19. We loved this classic name. We also loved all the options for nicknames available for this name.

  20. It’s a lovely name that sounds good in all 3 languages that we speak in our family.

  21. The name Kathleen was what I wanted no matter what. That is my grandmother’s name. We couldn’t decide whether we wanted it first or middle, however. After much deliberation, my fiance says, “How about Amelia?” Amelia Kathleen works well together. Aside from the fact that Amelia was the name of a very strong female in history, I looked up the name and liked it’s meaning. I knew my girl would be a strong, beautiful lady, and it just fit. Looking at her now, I wouldn’t have picked any other name for her.

  22. It was a name her Daddy and I agreed on. We don’t agree on much so when we did, we went with it. It was a relief to find a name we both loved. We liked that it was a classy and classic name that was versatile with nicknames: Amy, Mia, Millie. I also love the Hebrew meanings: Work of the Lord. Yes!! She is a wonderful creation from my God! And her middle name is Jane: Yahweh is gracious and merciful. YES HE IS!! He gave me a 4 hour long labor and she is my first. Praise Yahweh!!

  23. I have a classic name and I thought Amelia was a beautiful classic name that could fit any last name, it fits her just right.

  24. She is the best thing ever.

  25. My husband and I always really liked the name!

  26. I chose the name amelia ..becauss its a nice nsme

  27. We really wanted a name that has some family ties. My husbands great grandmothers name was Amelia, we really like this name hence decided this is what our daughter is going to be called

    • hi my name is Amelia and im the age 9

      • You same I’m called Amelia and I’m 9 years old to LOL

        • Amelia squad!!! 🙂 Hello my fellow Amelias

          • Waasup! My sisters from other misters! Being an Amelia means you need to act like one.
            Always be:
            1. Kind
            2. Smart
            3. Cheerful

        • Hello fellow Amelia’s, my name is Amelia and i am 9yrs young. I am So super duper sexy. I party all night long. I only make friends with people named. AMELIA!!!

          • Hi Amelia. I am here- I am your friend now

  28. Amelia is a name I’ve loved forever, and then I met my husband and his grandmas name is Amelia. Classic, beautiful, family name. I love that she is smiling at Dylan and I and makes the cutest little sounds.

  29. My husband is a true aviation nerd, and we agreed that Amelia Earhart was a fierce female namesake for a strong, intelligent, trailblazing, brave girl!

  30. I chose the name Amelia because it means strong and that exactly what my daughter is. The only thing i dislike about her name is most people do not pronounce it correctly.

  31. Similar to grandmothers name “Amalie

  32. To me it was absolutely beautiful like I knew she would be and it had a way about it that seemed graceful yet also not a common name so she wouldn’t have multiple people with that name in her classes and I also wanted her to have the sam beginning initials as me

  33. Me and My Hubby named our Princess Amelia. I fall in love with the name when I was pregnant with her. And we are very happy to have a very beautiful, determined and sweet baby girl like Amelia.

  34. I chose the name Amelia because it’d been running through her father’s head for a while. Plus it’s unique in the African American community. She’s going to live up to that name in so many ways ?

  35. This was one pf my top three names. I wanted to give her a name that was strong. Amelia is a pretty name, as well as a heroic female figure, Amelia Earhart. One day I was shopping and my husband texts me “I think I have a great name for her come home as soon as you can” I had not told him yet about my top three. When I got home his suggestion was Amelia. I knew then that was it, we had both come up with the same name!

  36. I Named her Amelia meaning Ray of sunshine. Her middle name is Luna meaning moon. She is my Ray of sunshine moon.

  37. X

  38. My husband’s grandmother was named Amy and he was very close with her. She died after we were only married a year. When we were discussing girl names we had thought about honoring his grandmother somehow. We chose Amelia because it is close to Amy and we both loved it.

  39. Hubby’s and I chose it and the one name we loved

  40. I love how versatile it is and its classic

  41. My husband and I went with nationality’s with names he picked boy names and I picked girl names and narrowed it down to Amelia for our daughter. I heard the name in high school and loved the name then and I still do today with more meaning

  42. I loved that it’s old fashioned, and has some excellent people to live up to. It also has awesome nicknames that we could use, should we choose to.

  43. My husband and I were watching an episode of HBO’s “True Detective ” and one of the main character’s names was Amelia. It was the 1st and only name we could agree on. We stuch with it for over 6 months.
    I hate that people proniunce it as (ah meel ya) instead of it’s actual phonetic pronunciation as (ah mee lee ah). I correct most people but its gets tiresome. They clearly hear us pronouncing the name and they still say it wrong. Amelia will grow up knowing the correct way to say it.

  44. We named her Amelia after Amelia Earhart
    I love her names
    She is such a smart loving caring funny little girl

  45. We named our first daughter Eleanor and thought the 2 names went well together.

  46. We actually had the name Amelia picked out way before we got pregnant. The first house we lived in together was on Amelia Circle and it was such a wonderful place to us. My husband even proposed on the porch of that house! We always talked about Amelia being a great girls name and when she was born it felt right. We still LOVE the name and think it fits her adventurous spirit perfectly.

  47. Amelia

    • Ti

    • Beautifull

  48. We only had a few girl names picked out. We thought we were going to have a boy. At the last minute I went to the library and checked out some baby name books. I went through thousands of girl names. Amelia was one of the few more I added to our girl name list. After baby was born (we didnt find out gender prior to birth), we didnt decide on her name until we had to. It was between Amelia or Abigail. Abigail was what we had planned on the entire time up until and then we changed our mind. Amelia it was. Her name means determined and industrious woman and ambitious. Plus we thought it was cool that an Amelia flew an airplane. Even though she didnt make it, she was definitely a determined lady. Our little Amelia has lived up to her name for sure. She is now almost 3yrs old. Her middle name is after her Grandma (my husbands mom who passed away). Amelia Joy is beautiful and most precious to us!.

  49. In Hebrew it means “work of the Lord”. We moved overseas as missionaries shortly after she was born; so it was fitting. It was also very uncommon at the time. We paired it with Joy for a middle name to match mine.


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