Amelia

Amelia meaning

Amelia is an international girl's name of Germanic origin (Latin form).

Said to be Germanic, 'laborious'; merged with Roman Aemilia

Also used to mean: industrious, hardworking

Amelia has a Latin look but is usually traced to the Germanic name element amal-, found in Amalia and in the Amal dynasty of the Ostrogoths. Etymonline says the name is said to mean "laborious", the source of the popular gloss "hardworking", though other references read amal- as "vigour", so the exact sense is uncertain. Over time it blended with Aemilia, the feminine of the Roman clan name Aemilius, from which Emily also comes. Henry Fielding's novel Amelia (1751) is an early English example, and its best-known bearer is the aviator Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

Source: Online Etymology Dictionary, s.v. Amelia · entry Amelia · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Online Etymology Dictionary, Amelia · Lewis & Short, Aemilius (alatius.com) · Wikipedia, Amelia Earhart

Famous namesakes

• Amelia Earhart, American aviator

Popularity abroad

• #4 United States, girls 2025 (down 1 from 3 in 2024)
  US Social Security Administration
• #3 England and Wales, girls 2025
  Office for National Statistics

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Spellings

Amelia · Amalia · Emelia

Related names

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