Girl name · Germanic
Amelia
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: possibly vigorous, braveAmelia is a girl's name that comes from Germanic and means "possibly vigorous, brave". It is used in English, Irish, Scottish and Spanish.
- Meaning
- Possibly vigorous, brave
- Origin
- Germanic
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #4 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Amelia
As a girl's name, Amelia comes from Germanic and means "possibly vigorous, brave". It is used in English, Irish, Scottish and Spanish.
Its meaning puts Amelia on our names that mean strong list.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Amelia on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Amelia on 4 lists.
“After pilot Earhart, fearless and adventurous”
From Girl dog names, strong female dog names
“Work; Germanic. Vintage and melodic”
From Girl middle names, classic girl middle names
“Work, industrious; Germanic. Shared with aviator Earhart”
From Strong female names, strong names worn by trailblazing women
“Work, industrious; Germanic. A Hanoverian princess”
From Vintage girl names, royal and literary vintage names
How popular is Amelia?
- US rank in 2025
- #4
- 12,699 babies, 7,901 per million girls
- Best rank
- #3 in 2024
- Most babies: 13,041 in 2021
- Babies since 1880
- At least 281,130
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 2,253 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 1,677 per million |
| 1900s | 1,252 per million |
| 1910s | 1,083 per million |
| 1920s | 735 per million |
| 1930s | 559 per million |
| 1940s | 368 per million |
| 1950s | 270 per million |
| 1960s | 264 per million |
| 1970s | 344 per million |
| 1980s | 567 per million |
| 1990s | 753 per million |
| 2000s | 1,802 per million |
| 2010s | 5,362 per million |
| 2020s | 7,822 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10 | #8 | #8 | #7 | #6 | #4 | #4 | #4 | #3 | #4 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Nicknames for Amelia
Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.
- Milliecommon English nickname
- Amycommon English nickname
- Miacommon English nickname
Names spelled like Amelia
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- AdeliaNoble (Germanic, girl)
- AmaliaWork (Germanic, girl)
- AmelieWork, industrious (Germanic, girl)
- AdelaNoble (Germanic, girl)
- AureliaGolden (Latin, girl)
- AdelinaNoble one (Germanic, girl)
- AdelitaLittle noble one (Germanic, girl)
- AelitaCoined by Aleksey Tolstoy for a Martian princess (Russian, girl)
- AmaiaThe end (Basque, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- OscarPossibly deer friend (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- EstherPossibly star (Persian, girl)
- LeonardoBrave lion (Germanic, boy)
- RicardaBrave ruler (Germanic, girl)
- AndreaManly, brave (Greek, girl)
- AndreasManly, brave (Greek, boy)
- BahadurBrave, valiant (Turkic, boy)
- BernadetteBrave bear (Germanic, girl)
- BernardBrave bear (Germanic, boy)
- BernardoBrave bear (Germanic, boy)
Middle names for Amelia
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Germanic
- EmmaWhole, universal (Germanic, girl)
- AlinaShort form of Adelina, Albina and names ending in -alina (Germanic, girl)
- AliceNobility, of noble kind (Germanic, girl)
- CharlotteFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- LouiseFamous warrior (Germanic, girl)
- AdaNoble (Germanic, girl)
- AdeleNoble one (Germanic, girl)
- BertaBright, famous (Germanic, girl)
- CarlaFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- CarolineFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
Amelia: common questions
What does the name Amelia mean?
Amelia comes from Germanic and means "possibly vigorous, brave". Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Amelia a boy or girl name?
Amelia is mainly a girl's name. In 2025, 12,699 girls and 6 boys in the US were named Amelia, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are nicknames for Amelia?
Common nicknames for Amelia include Millie, Amy and Mia.
How popular is the name Amelia?
Amelia ranked #4 in the US in 2025, with 12,699 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Amelia?
Names spelled like Amelia include Adelia, Amalia, Amelie, Adela and Aurelia.
What middle names go with Amelia?
Middle names that flow well with Amelia include Belle, Dawn, Esme, Hope and Ione. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.