This post was originally published on May 8, 2009. It was substantially revised and re-posted on January 4, 2016.
This gentle, old-fashioned name belongs to a daring, world-changing aviatrix.
Thanks to Rocking Fetal for suggesting Amelia as our Baby Name of the Day.
Amelia: Two Names, Tons of Bearers
This single name comes from more than one source.
Purists will tell you that both the -elia spelling and Amalia come from the German amal – work, while Emilia and company trace back to the Latin aemulus, rival. But it’s hard to draw a bright line.
Over the centuries, the name has been worn by:
- The seventh century Saint Amalberga is also known by this name.
- Plenty of royals, especially in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when two British princesses were given the name. The present heir to the throne of the Netherlands is Princess Catharina-Amalia.
- Sigmund Freud’s mother wore the name.
- Nineteenth century suffragette Amelia Bloomer lent her surname to the baggy trousers she advocated women be allowed to wear instead of more conventional – and restrictive – clothing.
Amelia: Earhart
One of the most famous bearers of the name was the daring aviatrix Amelia Earhart.
She became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. Earhart immediately became a media darling, and a popular lecturer. She was called the Queen of the Air and Lady Lindy, a reference to fellow aviator Charles Lindbergh. Her new fame helped her promote women’s equality, as well as aviation in general.
Five years later, Earhart disappeared near Howland Island while attempting a Pacific crossing in 1937. Speculation on her fate has never ceased.
Amelia: In Fiction
Dozens of books have been written about Earhart, but that’s not the reason Amelia is literary.
Characters by the name appear in everything from Vanity Fair to Harry Potter. There’s also bumbling, but good-hearted, housekeeper Amelia Bedelia, and it’s the full name of Princess Mia Thermopolis, Crown Princess of Genovia in Meg Cabot’s popular Princess Diaries books.
Amelia: By the Numbers
Speaking of The Princess Diaries, the 2001 movie adaptation starring Anne Hathaway as Mia gets much of the credit for the name’s return.
During the late nineteenth century, Amelia was a Top 100 name. By the 1920s, it had fallen into the 200s. And by the 1960s and 70s? The 400s.
Parents were slowly rediscovering the name when The Princess Diaries came along. The name ranked #207 in 2000. By 2002, Amelia was up to #139, and re-entered the US Top 100 by 2004. By 2014, the name had risen to #15.
Nickname Mia, too, was boosted by the popular movie.
The name’s success could also be due to similar long-time #1 name Emily, and many slightly different forms of the name are in the current Top 1000:
- Amalia (#884)
- Amelie (#667)
- Emelia (#624)
- Emilia (#164)
Besides Mia, other possible short forms include Mila, Amy, Lia, Millie, Mimi, Emmy, and even Molly could work. It’s Minnie Driver’s real name, too. But Amelia requires no nickname, and in our Sophia-Olivia age, odds are that many girls are just plain Amelia.
Overall, Amelia is a lovely antique choice for a child. Famous women by the name add some steel to this otherwise delicate and feminine name. The only real drawback? With this name poised just outside the US Top Ten, it’s likely that we’ll meet a lot of little Amelias.
Which form of this name do you prefer? Do you know a lot of girls with the name?
Amalia says
February 25, 2011 at 11:19 PMPortingles-my name is Amalia and my nickname is Mali! The name is grown on me quite a bit, If you have a girl I definitely would support Amalia as her name.:) I have started to love the name Amelie from the french movie-if you havent seen it yet you should, its beautiful!
Meredith says
October 28, 2010 at 8:03 PMI thought Amelia was unique, yet classic when I decided it was my favorite name about 10 years ago. (I love Amy and would use that as a nn.) Alas, it’s becoming a bit too popular for my liking. I still love the name, though. Amelia Mae would be my pick.
appellationmountain says
October 29, 2010 at 6:27 AMIt’s a great name, but it isn’t unusual anymore. Then again, an Amelia nicknamed Amy might be different.
Erika says
February 9, 2013 at 12:08 PMMy daughter is Amelia Kae! (Kae is for my mother in law.) She always goes by Millie, though. We get a lot of compliments on it, and it suits her perfectly.
appellationmountain says
February 9, 2013 at 12:55 PMI love Millie for Amelia!
portingles says
September 25, 2009 at 5:17 PMI *love* Am
Amelia says
May 18, 2009 at 3:50 AMHaha I like this post.
coolteamblt says
May 11, 2009 at 5:13 AMI have a huge soft spot for it: it’s my baby (okay, she’s 18 now) sister’s name! Amelia Margaret. She’s named after our great-grandmother Lois Amelia and our grandmother Margaret Isobella. She mainly goes by Amelia, but we also call her Mimi and Me-la and Meems. I find it so funny how trendy it’s getting. It was in the low 200s when my Miss Meem was born in 1991. Teachers always called her Amanda or Emily, and she hated it! Even now, as a senior, she’s one of two Amelias in her whole school. As a Kayt/Kate/Katherine, I was so jealous as a child. If I ever have a girl, her middle name will be Margaret, but if we had a second girl, her middle name just might be Amelia. I pushed for Charlotte Amelia to make our list when we were pregnant with James, but the huz hates it!
Kate says
May 10, 2009 at 8:07 PMI really like Amelia, she’s dipped in and out of my top ten for a while now. I flirted with the idea of Emilia too, because like Sophie Gray I find her just slightly more visually appealing but always revert back to Amelia. The problem is she’s just so darned popular and so close in look and sound to Emily – and just about all my friends have an Emily. Still, she is lovely…
SophieGray says
May 10, 2009 at 10:56 AMAmelia sat at #15 in my Australian state in 2008, with Amelie at #77. I do rather like her, and my daughter’s mn is Emilia (We chose the spelling because it seemed more visually appealing in the combo?) . Most Amelia’s in Australia go by Millie, I’ve never heard any go by Mia, funnily enough (probably because she’s our #1 name).
I much prefer Millie anyway, I kind of despise Mia because of the amount I hear her!!
She’s lovely and feminine with a subtle sophistication and I do really like her, plus, she’s easy to spell and say! I agree, I really like Amelie – I have a 4 year old cousin with the name – but people really, really destroy the pronunciation, so she’s out for me!
rockingfetal says
May 10, 2009 at 5:20 AMThanks so much! Amelia’s popularity turns me off, and I think it will continue to climb. Besides that, I love it. I have it as a middle name in one of my favorite combos, Ingrid Amelia. Amelia and Charlotte are my husband’s favorite names, and I try to throw him a bone every once in a while. 😛
Julia says
May 9, 2009 at 11:05 AMEmilia is so so pretty on paper, it’s a shame it sounds so similar to Amelia. I am also crushing on Amelie and Amalia.
But Amelia? It’s always sounded kind of… pharmaceutical to me. I looked it up, and it’s the name of a medical condition – the congenital absense of one or more limbs. But that aside, it has a nice meaning and several worthy namesakes. So I don’t mind the name, but it’s not for me.
fatalapple says
May 9, 2009 at 3:14 AMI am absolutely in love with Amelia! I just worry about her similarity to Emily, I wouldn’t want her to blend in with that crowd. I really love Amelia, though, I’d love to use her.
Lola says
May 8, 2009 at 7:51 PMI’m terrible at figuring out familial relationships. I have a half first cousin with a daughter named Amelia (nn Mia), her brother is Alexander (nn Lex). I really want to like Amelia, just for Amelia Earhart alone, she was a hero of mine when I was little. But that “meal” sound in the middle? Makes me curl my lip funny when I say it. And I hate that. The “cousin”? She’s adorable! Almost seels the name for me, but I still make that face. *BAH*
Now Amalia and Amelie are two versions that appeal quite a bit to me though. Amelie is light and lovely, although I know a fair amount of people who’d butcher the pronuncation. Amalia is pudding; rich, lush and simply beautiful. And Molly doesn’t seem that that much of a stretch when I say it: ah-MAHL-yah.
The “E” versions do nothing for me. And Emmy? Blah. So tired of Emmy. Almost ALL the Emilys in my area go by Emmy. Yell it at the mall here and a hundred kids will turn around. SO I’m going to give Amelia a :thumbsup: but it’s a reserved one. Not quite wholehearted. 😀