Amelia — Name Day, Meaning & Origin

Female Polish given name · rank 15 among female names (2024)

A fashionable Polish female name of Germanic roots, meaning "industrious".

Pronunciation

/a.ˈmɛ.lja/ · ah-MEL-yah

Meaning

Amelia is a name derived from the Germanic root amal, meaning "work" or "toil", and by extension "vigour" and "industriousness". It is sometimes confused with Emilia, but it has a separate, Germanic origin.

Origin & history

The name is a variant of the older Amalia and spread across Europe, partly through the House of Hanover on the British throne in the 18th century. The aviator Amelia Earhart added to its fame. In Poland it is currently riding a great wave of popularity and has for several years stayed at the very top of the lists of girls' names.

Etymology

At its base lies the Germanic root amal — "work, toil, eagerness", also present in names such as Amalia and Amalric. The form Amelia developed as a secondary variant of Amalia.

Declension (Polish cases)

Nominative	Amelia
Genitive	Amelii
Dative	Amelii
Accusative	Amelię
Instrumental	Amelią
Locative	Amelii
Vocative	Amelio

Name day (imieniny)

In Poland, Amelia celebrates its name day on 30 March, 10 July.

Diminutives

Amelka, Amelcia, Mela, Melcia, Ela.

Forms in other languages

Equivalents in other languages include Amalia (Spanish, Italian, Dutch), Amélie and Amélia (French, Portuguese), Amalie (German, Scandinavian) and Amália (Hungarian, Slovak).

Notable people named Amelia

Amelia Earhart — American aviator, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

Amelia Andersdotter — Swedish politician, former member of the European Parliament for the Pirate Party.

Popularity

For several years Amelia has been among the most frequently given, and often the single most popular, names for baby girls in Poland.