Amelia

Meaning

In older name books, Amelia is connected to a Teutonic root meaning “work,” which is also how Yonge glosses the name. Charnock instead relates it to the Roman family name Aemilia/Emilius, and notes the older association with the noble Roman line and the Via Aemilia. In modern usage, the name is usually treated as a graceful form related to Emily/Emilia, with the “work” etymology still commonly cited in traditional naming sources.

Origin

Fun fact

One 19th-century source says the form spread through Germany and was brought to England by the daughter of George II, who wrote it Amelia but was called Princess Emily.