Aurelia

Today's name: Aurelia

Pronunciation: OR-ell-ee-ah, AWE-rell-ee-ah

Variants: Aurelie (French but I don't know how to make the accent mark), Aranka, Arela, Areli, Arelie, Arella, Arely, Auralia, Aurea, Aurel, Aureliana, Aurelina, Aurellia, Aurene, Auriel, Auriella, Aurielle, Aurita, Ora, Oralia, Oralie, Orel, Irelee, and Orelia.

Potential nicknames: Aura, Aurie, Rellie, Lia

Origin: Latin, meaning "golden." It is the feminine variant of Aurelio, which comes from Aurelius. Aurelius was taken from the Sabine Ausel, meaning "splendid" or "dazzling." This was a very popular name in the days of the Roman Empire, and it started to bloom again in the 17th century.

Popularity: Aurelia last ranked on the Social Security Administration's list of the top 1000 baby names in 1950, when it was at #917. In 2010, there were 209 baby girls born named Aurelia and 15 named Aurelie, and in 2011 there were 239 girls named Aurelia, just beyond ranking in the top 1000.

Fun fact: (1) The name of several early saints, none of which are well known. It's "name day," or "onomastico," is September 25th, in honor of Saint Aurelia, who was martyred at Anagni with Saint Neomisia (another saint who is not well known). (2) Emperor Marcus Aurelius. (3) Aurelia Cotta, Julius Caesar's mom. She is connected to the Via Aurelia, an ancient road that runs through Rome.

Middle name ideas: Some middle names will give Aurelia new meaning (see below). If you think Aurelia might be too fancy, too long, or too old for your baby girl, try pairing it with a younger, shorter middle name with modern appeal...

Aurelia Kate/Cait (Golden and pure)
Aurelia Blair (Golden field/golden plain)
Aurelia Cecily (Golden sixth)
Aurelia Winter (Golden winter)
Aurelia Willow (Golden willow)
Aurelia Raine (Golden queen)
Aurelia Dawn (Golden dawn)
Aurelia Ivy (Golden ivy)

Extra sources for this info, other than the usual, which has many "name days" listed: http://italian.about.com/library/name/blname_aurelia.htm

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