How to say it
a · MEEL · i · a
əˈmil.i.ə
Feminine
Amelia
Industrious, striving
What it means
From the Germanic amal, meaning work, vigor, eager effort. A name about a quiet kind of doing.
Amelia arrived in English through the Hanoverian princesses of the 18th century, who brought the Germanic name into the British royal line. Henry Fielding wrote a novel called Amelia in 1751. Jane Austen named a niece Amelia. Amelia Earhart linked the name with courage in the 1930s. The modern revival started in the 1990s and lifted Amelia into the US top five by the 2020s, where it sits alongside Olivia and Emma.
How to spell Amelia
The standard spelling is Amelia. Common variants include Emelia, Amalia, Amélie, Emilia, but Amelia is the most widely used form.
Popularity over time
peaked at #3 in 2024, currently #4 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–2025. Reviewed July 2026. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Mia, Mel, and Millie all circulate. Mia in particular gets used so often it sometimes overtakes the full Amelia in daily life.
- Pop culture
Amelia Earhart is the dominant historical association; Amelia Bedelia is the children's-book one. Both flatter.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Amelia Earhart First woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, disappeared 1937
- Amelia Bedelia Children's-book housekeeper who takes every instruction literally, since 1963
Spelling variants
- Emelia
- Amalia
- Amélie
- Emilia
Names with the same feeling
See Amelia from another angle
By style
Common questions
- What does the name Amelia mean?
- From the Germanic amal, meaning work, vigor, eager effort. A name about a quiet kind of doing.
- What does Amelia mean in Germanic?
- In Germanic, Amelia means "Industrious, striving." Amelia arrived in English through the Hanoverian princesses of the 18th century, who brought the Germanic name into the British royal line. Henry Fielding wrote a novel called Amelia in 1751. Jane Austen named a niece Amelia. Amelia Earhart linked the name with courage in the 1930s. The modern revival started in the 1990s and lifted Amelia into the US top five by the 2020s, where it sits alongside Olivia and Emma.
- How do you pronounce Amelia?
- Amelia is pronounced əˈmil.i.ə. Say it as a-MEEL-i-a, with the stress on the "meel" syllable.
- How do you spell Amelia?
- The standard spelling is Amelia. Common spelling variants include Emelia, Amalia, Amélie, Emilia.
- Is Amelia a boy or girl name?
- Amelia is traditionally a feminine name.
- How popular is the name Amelia?
- Amelia ranked #4 in the U.S. in 2025, according to Social Security Administration data.