The name Emily is derived from the Roman family name Aemilius. The Aemilius family was a prominent and powerful family in ancient Rome. The name may come from the Latin word aemulus meaning “rival,” or the Greek term aimylos meaning “wily” or “persuasive.”
How Popular Is the Name Emily?
Emily was the No. 1 baby name for girls in America from 1996 to 2007. It was consistently in the top 10 from 1991 to 2016. The latest statistics in 2020 show Emily is ranked as No. 18 in girl name in the U.S. Although the name Emily is typically used as a girl’s name, it can be used any way you see fit, as sex does not have to be a part of your name selection process.
Name Variations
The Emilia variation is used in many languages, including Czech, Danish, German, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, and Spanish. Here are some more forms seen around the world:
Eemeli (Finnish)Emelie (Swedish)Emili (Hungarian)Emília (Portuguese)Emilía (Icelandic)Émilie (French)Emīlija (Latvian)Emilis (Lithuanian)Emiliya (Bulgarian)Emlyn (Welsh)
Masculine variations include:
Emiel (Dutch)Emil (German)Émile (French)Emilio (Italian)Emílio (Portuguese)Emilios (Greek)Emīls (Latvian)
Nicknames for Emily include Em, Emmy, Mil, Mille, and Millie.
Similar Names
As Emily shares its first syllable with the name Emma, both of these names are sometimes shortened as Em or Emmy. Emily/Emilia also sounds similar to Amelia (and its French variant Amélie), though these are both derived from the Germanic name Amalia. More girl names starting with E:
EleanorElianaElizabethEllaEloiseEricaEsmeEstelleEstherEvaEvelyn
More popular girl names from the 1990s:
AshleyBriannaHannahJessicaKaylaLaurenMeganSamanthaStephanieTaylorVictoria
Suggested Sibling Names
AbigailAlyssaChloeDanielIsabellaJoshuaMatthewNicholasOliviaRyanSophiaZachary
Famous People Named Emily
The name Emily has been commonplace for hundreds of years. Here are some notable figures your baby would share a name with:
Emily Barton, American novelist, author of “Brookland” and “The Book of Esther”Emily Blackwell, American academic, among the first women to earn a medical degree in the United StatesEmily Blunt,English actress known for her roles in “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Mary Poppins Returns”Emily Brontë, English novelist, author of “Wuthering Heights”Emily Browning, Australian actress known for her roles in the film “Sleeping Beauty” and the TV series “American Gods”Emily Carr, Canadian artist who painted in a Modernist and Post-Impressionist styleEmily Davies, English feminist and suffragistEmily Deschanel, American actress known for her starring role in the TV series “Bones”Emily Dickinson, American poet regarded as one of the major figures in American poetryEmily Haines, Canadian singer-songwriter, lead singer for the rock band MetricEmily Hobhouse, English activist, feminist, and pacifistEmily Hughes, American figure skater who competed in the 2006 Winter OlympicsEmily Lau, Hong Kong politician and human rights activistEmily Mortimer, English actress known for her roles in “Lovely and Amazing” and “Lars and the Real Girl”Emily Murphy, Canadian author and women’s rights activistEmily Osment, American actress known for her roles in the “Spy Kids” film series and the TV show “Hannah Montana”Emily Post, American author known for her works on etiquetteEmily Procter, American actress known for her roles in the TV series “The West Wing” and “CSI: Miami”Emily VanCamp, Canadian actress known for her role in the “Captain America” films and related worksEmily Watson, English actress known for her work in “Breaking the Waves” and “Hilary and Jackie”Emily Webley-Smith, English tennis player
Famous People Named Emmy:
Emmy Andriesse, Dutch photographerEmmy Krüger, German operatic sopranoEmmy Noether, Bavarian Jewish mathematicianEmmy Okello, Ugandan consultant physicianEmmy Verhey, Dutch violinistEmmy Wehlen, German actressEmmy Werner, American developmental psychologist
Famous People Named Millie:
Millie Bailey, American World War II veteran, civil servant, and volunteerMillie Bobby Brown, English actress known for “Stranger Things"Millie Bright, English footballer in the FA Women’s Super LeagueMillie Corretjer, Puerto Rican singer and actressMillie Criswell, American writer of romance novelsMillie Davis, Canadian actressMillie Hamner, American politician, member of the Colorado State House of Representatives beginning 2010Millie Hughes-Fulford, American medical investigator, molecular biologist, and former NASA astronautMillie Innes, Scottish actress
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