Aurelia

aw-REEL-ya or a-RAY-lee-a

Latin

"the golden one"

Aurelia Origin and Meaning

The name Aurelia is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "the golden one".

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 sixty-one 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's middle names.

• 644 US 2019
• 8 Nameberry 2021
• 202 England 2019
• 132 Germany 2016
• 416 2028 2028