Aurelia
Top 1000
About Aurelia
Aurelia is an ancient Roman name that's become a surprise hit in the contemporary world. A top favorite on Nameberry, it reentered the US Top 1000 in 2014 after a 70-year absence and continues to climb.
Aurelia is the female form of the Latin name Aurelius, an ancient Roman surname. Aurelius is derived from the Latin word aureus, meaning "golden," which was also the name of a gold coin used in Ancient Rome. Aurelius was a cognomen, a third name in Roman culture that often referenced a personal characteristic or trait, likely used for someone with golden hair.
The Roman classic Aurelius, from which Aurelia derives, was very common in the Roman Empire and is currently experiencing a resurgence in the US—it re-entered the Top 1000 list in 2012 after a 61-year hiatus.
The name of several minor early saints, Aurelia's sound and feel can be credited for it being on the rise again. Aurora and Oriana are Aurelia cousins you might also want to consider.
Aurelia was the name of the mothers of Julius Caesar, the writer Sylvia Plath, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who, in her honor, made it one of his daughter Christina's middle names.
Pronounced aw-RAY-lee-uh.
As of October 2026, Aurelia ranked #290 in US births in 2025 SSA, Nameberry popularity #24.
Editor's take: The name Aurelia is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "the golden one".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #829 | 334 | 187 |
| 2015 | #799 | 353 | 197.7 |
| 2016 | #675 | 433 | 244.4 |
| 2017 | #674 | 435 | 252 |
| 2018 | #652 | 456 | 268.1 |
| 2019 | #642 | 453 | 269.9 |
| 2020 | #531 | 568 | 351.4 |
| 2021 | #518 | 595 | 362.6 |
| 2022 | #489 | 644 | 392.7 |
| 2023 | #370 | 828 | 516 |
| 2024 | #334 | 933 | 575.9 |
| 2025 | #290 | 1,056 | 657 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Aurelia.
- Adali
- Seraphina
- Arielle
- Lyra
- Ophelia
- Guilietta
- Freya
- Stasya
- Evangeline
- Aurora
- Calliope
- Astrid
- Ariadne
- Arabella
- Madaleine
- Cassia
- Athena
- Althea
- Charolette
- Lilith
Aurelia on lists
Famous Aurelias
- Aurelia Scheppers
American actress
- Saint Aurelia of Strasbourg
4th century French virgin
- Saint Aurelia of Regensburg
10th century German nun
- Aurelia Cotta
mother of Julius Caesar
- Aurelia Orestilla
second wife of Roman Senator Catiline
- Aurelia Frances Schober
Plath, mother of poet Sylvia Plath
- Aurelia Riley
American actress
- Aurelia Dobre
Romanian gymnast
- Aurelia Frick
Liechtensteinerin politician
- Aurelia Shines Browder
American civil rights activist
- (Maria) Aurélia Martins de Sousa
Portuguese painter
- Aurelia Tizón
first wife of Argentine President Juan Perón
- Aurelia Courtney (b. 2014)
daughter of TV personalities Nadine Jolie and Erik Courtney ("Newlyweds")
- Ruby Aurelia McManus (b. 2013)
daughter of TV presenter Rove McManus and actress Tasma Walton
Aurelia in pop culture
- Aurelia
character in film "The Madwoman of Chaillot"
- Aurelia
character in film "Love Actually" (pronounced "Oh,RAIL,ee,a")
- Aurelia
sunken ship in film "Fools Gold"
- Aurelia
genus of the moon jellyfish (generally pronounced a,RAY,lee,a)
- Aurelia
character in "Mountain Pose" by Nancy Hope Wilson
- Aurelia Darnel
wife of the main character in "Launcelot Greaves" (1762) by Tobias Smollett
- Aurelia Jedwabinska
main character in books "Opium w rosole" and "Dziecko piatku" by Malgorzata Musierowicz
Variations & nicknames
- AurélieFrench