| Anita | Emilia | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | grace, favour | rival; eager, striving |
| Origin | spanish | spanish |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | uh-NEE-tuh | eh-MEE-lee-ah |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1957 (5,811) | 2021 (4,854) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 4,677 |
| Trend | Vintage | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Anita | Emilia |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 929 | 28,338 |
| 2010s | 1,695 | 24,348 |
| 2000s | 2,471 | 6,348 |
| 1990s | 4,571 | 2,209 |
| 1980s | 8,594 | 1,360 |
| 1970s | 18,834 | 726 |
| 1960s | 44,416 | 718 |
| 1950s | 47,588 | 686 |
| 1940s | 32,531 | 691 |
| 1930s | 22,224 | 798 |
| 1920s | 18,052 | 1,212 |
| 1910s | 9,555 | 895 |
| 1900s | 2,149 | 376 |
| 1890s | 1,191 | 238 |
| 1880s | 365 | 133 |
A Spanish and Portuguese diminutive of Ana, ultimately from Hebrew 'Channah' (Hannah) meaning grace or favour.
The feminine form of the Latin Aemilius, a Roman family name usually linked to aemulus 'rival, emulating, striving'. The same root lies behind Emiliano, Emily and Amelia (the latter is actually of separate Germanic origin, though the names are often confused).
Emilia is more popular than Anita today: about 4,677 US babies were given the name Emilia in 2025, compared with 0 named Anita.
Anita means grace, favour (spanish origin), while Emilia means rival; eager, striving (spanish origin).
In US records, Anita first appears in 0 and Emilia in 1880, so Anita has the longer recorded history.