Emilia is the Italian and Spanish feminine form of the Roman family name Aemilius, which probably comes from the Latin aemulus and means "rival" or "eager". Shakespeare gave the name to Iago's outspoken wife in Othello, and the Italian region Emilia-Romagna carries it on the map. In the United States Emilia ranked number 626 in 2000, rose from number 145 in 2015 into the top 100 in 2017, peaked at number 40 in 2021 and ranks number 45 among girls in 2025.