Find out how popular the last name Amelia is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Amelia.

Amelia, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Amelia surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Amelia in America

Amelia is the 102197th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Amelia surname appeared 176 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Amelia.

We can also compare 2010 data for Amelia to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Amelia

The surname Amelia has its origins in the Italian language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin name Aemilia, which is a feminine form of the Roman family name Aemilius. The Aemilius clan was a prominent patrician family in ancient Rome, and the name Aemilius is believed to have originated from the Latin word "aemulus," meaning "rival" or "competitor."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Amelia can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Longobardo," a collection of documents from the Lombard period in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. This suggests that the name was already in use during the early medieval period in the Italian peninsula.

In the 12th century, the surname Amelia appeared in the "Liber Censuum," a Vatican record of taxes and revenue sources. This document mentions a family called "de Amelia" from the town of Amelia, located in the modern-day Italian region of Umbria. It is likely that the surname was derived from this place name, which itself traces its roots back to the Roman era.

One notable bearer of the surname Amelia was Giovanni Battista Amelia (1536-1591), an Italian historian and philosopher from the city of Terni. He wrote extensively on the history of Umbria and contributed to the development of humanistic thought during the Renaissance period.

Another prominent figure was Alessandro Amelia (1610-1670), an Italian architect and engineer who worked on several important construction projects in Rome during the 17th century, including the renovation of the Castel Sant'Angelo and the design of the Piazza Navona.

In the 18th century, the Amelia surname gained recognition through the work of Giuseppe Amelia (1720-1793), an Italian painter and engraver who specialized in portraiture and religious art. His works can be found in numerous churches and galleries across Italy.

Moving into the 19th century, Antonio Amelia (1819-1885) was an Italian politician and jurist who served as a member of the Italian Parliament and played a significant role in the unification of Italy during the Risorgimento movement.

Furthermore, the surname Amelia has been documented in various historical records from other regions, such as Spain and Portugal, where it likely emerged through Italian migration and cultural exchange during the medieval and Renaissance periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Amelia

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Amelia.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Amelia was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Amelia has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Amelia was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Amelia, please contact us.

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