Meaning: Its source is Aemilius, a Latin name meaning "Eager."

Languages: This girl's name is used in English, Italian and Polish.

Nicknames: Em

Variant Forms: Emiliana, Melia and Emilyah

Popularity: The name Emilia ranked 569th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 773rd in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Narrative: Aemilius, a Roman family name, is also interpreted as ''laborious'' or ''rival.''

This name was used among ancient Christians in the Latinate feminine form Aemilia (the modern Italian form of the name). In time, it was altered to Emilia, then Emily.

This continuum of names developed side-by-side with Amelia, which is derived from the Ancient Germanic Amalia, meaning ''work.'' The origins of Amelia and Emily are often confounded, though their similar spellings are coincidental.