girl's name
Amelie
AM-a-lee
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 138,247
the United States
#829
2025 births
Amelie is a girl's name of Germanic origin meaning "work" or "industrious." It is the French form of Amelia, from the element amal, and its modern popularity in Britain dates from the 2001 film.
- Amelie is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in England and Wales in 2012, when 1,146 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in England and Wales.
- Today about 1 in 1,324 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1996.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 3.
Amelie over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. Amelie is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 8,285 |
| 1910s | 4,940 |
| 1920s | 3,595 |
| 1930s | 1,500 |
| 1940s | 610 |
| 1950s | 455 |
| 1960s | 545 |
| 1970s | 5,605 |
| 1980s | 30,070 |
| 1990s | 26,355 |
| 2000s | 13,020 |
| 2010s | 3,365 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 705 |
What Amelie means
Amelie means work, effort or industriousness, from the Germanic amal. The sense is diligence and striving rather than labor as drudgery — a compliment in early Germanic naming.
Where Amelie comes from
Amelie is the French Amélie, from the Germanic Amalia, built on amal, meaning work or effort — an element found across Gothic and Frankish names. It is often confused with Amalia's near-namesake Emilia, which comes instead from the Roman family name Aemilius, but the two are unrelated despite modern English treating Amelia and Emily as cousins. The 2001 French film Amélie made the name internationally recognisable, and our records show British use climbing sharply from that point.
Amelie in use
Our data shows Amelie stable, peaking in 2012, at 122 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1996, so the name predates the film by more than a century — what the film supplied was the reason for its modern peak, which our year-by-year series dates precisely.
How popular is Amelie?
In 2025, Amelie was given to 398 babies in England and Wales, ranking #122 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Amelie is used
Figures for England and Wales withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. Data & sources.
How Amelie is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Amélie | Amélie is Amelie written with an acute accent in France, and the spelling parents there overwhelmingly choose: it ranks #529 in France, against #3,058 for Amelie. | 98,404 |
Names that peaked alongside Amelie
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Amelie also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Amelie over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Amelie
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Amelie in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Amelie
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Amelie — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Amelie
What does the name Amelie mean?
Amelie means "work" or "industrious," from the Germanic element amal.
Are Amelie and Amelia the same name?
Yes — Amelie is the French form of the same Germanic name.
Are Amelia and Emily related?
No. Amelia comes from the Germanic amal; Emily from the Roman family name Aemilius. They are unrelated despite the similar sound.
How popular is the name Amelie?
In 2025, Amelie was given to 398 babies in England and Wales, ranking #122 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Is Amelie a girl's or a boy's name?
Amelie is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Amelie?
Amelie has 3 syllables.
When was Amelie most popular?
Amelie peaked in 2012, when 1,146 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Amelie?
Amelie is usually shortened to Ami, Mel and Lily.
Is Amelie a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Amelie currently ranks #122 in England and Wales. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.