Amelia's exotically-chic older sister and
a golden girl of the Roman Empire that's on an upward curve.
Origin: |
Aurelia is feminine form of Aurelius, a Roman name denoting a member of the distinguished Aurelii family. Aurelia/us is commonly accepted as deriving from the Latin aurum "gold" via aureolus "golden." There is an alternate theory that suggests Aurelia/us could derive from diminutive form of auris "ear," starting out as a nickname meaning 'little ears'. This idea has validity; several Roman nomen originally started out as descriptive nicknames, such as Fulvius "tawny," Claudius "limping" and Caecilius "blind", though sometimes they were used ironically. It could easily be true that the original Aurelius was nicknamed 'little ears', 'little ear-wigger' or some such. On the other hand, if the name derives from aurum, it could also have started out as a descriptive nickname for a person with golden hair. |
Usage: |
The gens Aurelia was one of the most influential families of both the Roman Republic and Empire. Several notable Roman women of this gens bore the name including all the daughters of Marcus Aurelius, the mother of Julius Caesar and three empresses. Saint Petronilla was also held the name Aurelia Petronilla. In 212 Emperor Caracalla (Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Augustus) gave Roman citizenship to all free-born inhabitants of the empire. As it was the custom for newly naturalized citizens to take the name of the patron who granted his citizenship, all those men were given the name Aurelius. It became so common that in the late period of the Empire it is difficult to distinguish members of the gens from others bearing the name. Notable figures with the name Aurelius are littered in history. Particularly, there were two saints of the name, one living in the 4th century and one in the 9th century. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Aurelia was in use in Continental Europe from at least the 10th century, especially in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Monaco and Spain, though it was little used in Britain. A handful of baptisms for Aurelia can be found from the 16th century in England, though they are very rare. Usage really began to kick off in the 17th century and through to the 18th century; a time when classical names were much in vogue. The 1841 UK census lists 45 women named Aurelia (93% in England, 7% in Wales) which had risen to 66 in 1861, 111 in 1881, 117 in 1901 and 145 in 1911. Usage of the name was low but very consistent, averaging around 4 births every year from 1838 to 1900 in England and Wales. The name then continued to be used a handful of times every year till the 1990s. This is unlike Europe where the name has has more popularity. It has only been since the turn of the 21st century that Aurelia has began to gain a lot more usage in the UK. The birth count for England and Wales shows a definite upward curve: 1996: 7 births (#2096) The name has also been rising fractionally in Scotland. It was not registered at all in 2005 and 2006, received 2 births in 2007 and 2008, 5 in 2009, 4 in 2010 (#634), 2 in 2011 (#976) and 7 (#467) in 2012. |
Famous Bearers: |
History: * Aurelia Cotta (120 BC—54 BC), mother of Julius Caesar. Contemporary: * Aurelia Browder (1919—1971), African-American civil rights activist. Literature and Other Media: * Aurelia, character in the film Love Acually (2003). Other: * Aurelia is a synonym for a chrysalis. |
Variants: |
Aurélie (French), Aranka (Hungarian), Orelia (Italian), Aureliana |
Pronunciation: |
aw-REE-lee-ə, aw-RAY-lee-ə (UK) ow-RE-lya (Italy, Poland and elsewhere on the continent) [key] |
Possible |
Aura, Aurry, Elia, Laurie, Lia, Rae, Relie, Ria |
Sibling Names: |
Sabina Livia Candida Seraphina Evelina Valentina |
Name Lists: |
Upright Elegance Modern Antiquity Slickly Continental Resonant Roman Saintly & Stylish |
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Thanks to Bright for requesting Aurelia.