The Art of Literary Nomenclature

ORIGIN:
Variant of “Amalia”, from a Germanic name meaning “work”. May also be considered a variant of “Emily” / “Emilia”, the feminine version of “Emil”, from “Aemilius”, a Latinate family name meaning “rival”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Amalia, Amelie, Amie, Amy, Emmie, Emmy, Malia, Melia, Melie, Millie, Milly, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Princess Amelia of Humbourg-Schlippenschloppen, who marries the Hereditary Prince of Pumpernickel, where Amelia, Dobbin, Jos, and Georgy visit for a while on their Grand Tour, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Amelia Sedley (called “Emmy“), the naive and gentle heroine of Vanity Fair.

QUOTATIONS:
– “Amelia“, a poem written in 1878 by Coventry Patmore, begins: “Whene’er mine eyes do my Amelia greet / It is with such emotion / As, when in childhood, turning a dim street, / I first beheld the ocean.”

Tagged: 1810s, 1820s, 1840s, 1870s, A, Dutch, English, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish

§ 11 Responses to Amelia

• Emmy | The Art of Literary Nomenclature says:

  August 1, 2014 at 7:51 am

  […] Diminutive of “Amelia“, “Emma”, “Emilia”, “Emily”, […]

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• Millie | The Art of Literary Nomenclature says:

  August 7, 2014 at 10:24 am

  […] “Millicent”, “Emilie” / “Emily“, “Camille”, “Amelia“, […]

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• Milly | The Art of Literary Nomenclature says:

  August 16, 2014 at 9:51 am

  […] a diminutive of “Mildred”, “Millicent”, “Emilie” / “Emily“, “Camille”, “Amelia“, […]

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• Amy | The Art of Literary Nomenclature says:

  August 25, 2014 at 1:01 pm

  […] French “Amée”, meaning “beloved”. Sometimes used as a diminutive of “Amelia“, “Emily“, […]

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• A Bevy of Very British Names | The Art of Literary Nomenclature says:

  November 21, 2014 at 1:35 am

  […] Extremely British Baby Names for Girls: Ada, Agatha, Amelia, Boadicea (or Boudicca), Edith, Frideswide, Gladys, Lettice, Myrtle, Nora, and […]

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• What Would Your Name Be If You Were Born in a Different Time? | The Art of Literary Nomenclature says:

  May 13, 2015 at 10:33 pm

  […] might have been bestowed the following sobriquets through the decades: 1890s – Adelaide Amelia 1900s – Birdie Lizzie 1910s – Amanda Rosie 1920s – Leola Jennie 1930s – […]

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• Most Popular Baby Names, 2014 (Canadian Edition) | The Art of Literary Nomenclature says:

  May 24, 2015 at 11:09 pm

  […] girls: Abigail, Adele, Addison / Addyson, Alexa, Alexandra, Alexis, Alice, Alicia, Alyssa, Amelia, Anna, Annabelle, Aria, Arianna, Aubrey, Audrey, Ava, Avery, Beatrice, Brooke, Brooklyn, Camille, […]

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• A Bevy of Very British Names, Part II | The Art of Literary Nomenclature says:

  August 20, 2015 at 1:21 am

  […] 10 Baby Names for England and Wales, 2014: For girls: Amelia, Ava, Emily, Isabella, Isla, Jessica, Lily, Olivia, Poppy, Sophie For boys: Charlie, George, Harry, […]

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• Everything Old is New Again | The Art of Literary Nomenclature says:

  August 30, 2015 at 7:24 am

  […] girls: Adeline, Alice, Alma, Amelia, Blanche, Clara, Cora, Edith, Effie, Florence, Hattie, Hazel, Lillian, Maggie, Naomi, Nora, […]

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• The State of Pop-Culture Naming, 2015 | The Art of Literary Nomenclature says:

  August 30, 2015 at 8:42 am

  […] girls: Amelia (possibly inspired at least in part by Doctor Who); Arya, Daenerys, Khaleesi, Maisie (after one of […]

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• The State of Pop Culture Naming (Harry Potter Edition) | The Art of Literary Nomenclature says:

  November 25, 2015 at 10:38 pm

  […] witches: Amelia, Arabella, Bellatrix, Ginny, Hermione, Lavender, Lily, Luna, and Minerva For wizards: Cedric, […]

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