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Sunday, September 17, 2006

Alternatives to Emily

New little thing I'm starting.
Basically Emily is a popular name, in terms of the stats I could get for it, it is:
#1 in the USA
#2 in the UK
#7 in Germany
#8 in Scotland
#1 in Canada
#1 in N Territory, Australia and #3 in New South Wales
#4 in New Zealand

Emilija is #3 in Lithuania and Emilie is #6 in Norway.

That's an awful lot of babies being called Emily.
So...what are the alternatives:

1) Obvious alternatives - similar in sound:
The 'Em' names:
Emma (however, this is also an ultra-popular name, in the top 10 of 14 countries - more than Emily)
Emmeline
Emilia
Emerald
Emmanuelle

The 'Milly' names:
Amelia
Camilla
Jamila
Millecent
Mildred
Milburga

Other names containing 'Emily' sounds:
Artemisia
Clementine
Demelza
Demetria
Dilys
Gemma
Hilary
Holly
Jemima
Jillian
Kelly
Lily
Lydia
Molly
Polly

2) Less obvious: The meaning
Emily is from Aemilius from aemelus meaning 'rival'.
There are no names with exactly the same meaning as Emily, however, here are some close and opposite ones:
Amika (friendly)
Atalanta (equal in weight)
Cara (friend)
Philomena (friend of strength)
Ruth (friend)
Theophilia (friend of God)

3) Really random connections (mainly from Babynamer on Oxygen, these are people that I have heard of - I could only think of the Bronte connection):
Charlotte and Anne (two other Bronte sisters)
Natalie, Laura, Martie and Robin (other members of Dixie Chicks)
Dorothy (creator of Emily Pollifax character)

Babynamer on Oxygen lists the following (which I have not mentioned) as similar to Emily:
Valerie
Eleanor
Evelyn
Christina
Diana
Gloria
Julia (I would say that Julie is closer)
Sylvia

So, just a 'few' names to consider, if Emily is not an option.

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