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