boy's name
Emilio
e-MEE-lee-oh
- Origin Latin
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 4
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 63,503
the United States
#154
2025 births
Emilio is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "rival" or "eager." It is the Italian and Spanish form of Emil, from the Roman family name Aemilius, and is unrelated to Amelia despite the resemblance.
- Emilio is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 2,397 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,383 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1882.
- 4 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Emilio over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 23 |
| 1890s | 25 |
| 1900s | 127 |
| 1910s | 717 |
| 1920s | 1,419 |
| 1930s | 1,187 |
| 1940s | 1,095 |
| 1950s | 1,392 |
| 1960s | 1,563 |
| 1970s | 1,967 |
| 1980s | 2,698 |
| 1990s | 6,756 |
| 2000s | 10,217 |
| 2010s | 12,764 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 12,063 |
What Emilio means
Emilio means rival, or striving to equal. The Latin aemulus describes competing to match someone rather than to defeat them, so the sense is emulation more than rivalry.
Where Emilio comes from
Emilio descends from the Roman gens name Aemilius, generally connected to aemulus, rival or emulous — the root of emulate. The Aemilii were one of the oldest patrician families of Rome, and the Via Aemilia, built in 187 BC, still names the Emilia-Romagna region. The name is routinely confused with Amelia, which comes instead from the Germanic amal, work; they are wholly unrelated and merely converged in sound. Emiliano and Emil are the same name in other forms.
Emilio in use
Our data shows Emilio peaking in 2025 and still rising, and it first appears in our records in 1882. Its climb runs with Matteo, Luca and Leonardo — a group of Italian and Spanish forms rising together in both Britain and America over the last decade.
How popular is Emilio?
In 2025, Emilio was given to 2,397 babies in the United States, ranking #154 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Emilio is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Emilio is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Émilio | Émilio is Emilio written with an acute accent, used in France, where it ranks #513. | 555 |
Names that peaked alongside Emilio
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Emilio also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Emilio over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Emilio
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.
Emilio 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 Emilio
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Emilio — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Emilio
What does the name Emilio mean?
Emilio means "rival" or "eager," from the Roman family name Aemilius and the Latin aemulus.
Are Emilio and Amelia related?
No. Amelia comes from the Germanic amal, work. The two are unrelated and merely sound alike.
Is Emilio related to Emily?
Yes — Emily comes from the same Roman gens name Aemilius. Amelia does not, despite the closer resemblance.
How popular is the name Emilio?
In 2025, Emilio was given to 2,397 babies in the United States, ranking #154 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Emilio a girl's or a boy's name?
Emilio is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Emilio?
Emilio has 4 syllables.
When was Emilio most popular?
Emilio peaked in 2025, when 2,397 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Emilio?
Emilio is usually shortened to Milo, Emi and Emil.
Is Emilio a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Emilio currently ranks #115 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.