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Emilia

Girl name · 1,367 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Emilia: 1,367 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 110 births in 2016.

Emilia, the feminine form of the Roman family name Aemilius, ultimately derives from the Latin *aemulus*, meaning "rival" or "eager to excel." This elegant name has been borne by several notable women, including the 18th-century English bluestocking and writer Emilia Lanier, who is sometimes proposed as a candidate for Shakespeare's "Dark Lady," and the celebrated Italian mathematician and philosopher Emilia Erxleben, the first woman to earn a medical doctorate in Germany. The name also shares its root with the Italian city of Emilia-Romagna, a region whose name honours the ancient Roman road Via Aemilia. A particularly charming variant is the Scottish form Emelia, which has seen steady use in Scotland since the 1970s, while the name's association with the character Emilia in Shakespeare's *Othello* gives it a literary depth that appeals to many modern parents.