| Emilia | Valentina | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | rival; eager, striving | strong, healthy |
| Origin | spanish | spanish |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | eh-MEE-lee-ah | vah-len-TEE-nah |
| Syllables | 3 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1897 |
| Peak year | 2021 (4,854) | 2025 (5,354) |
| In 2025 | 4,677 | 5,354 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Emilia | Valentina |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 28,338 | 24,620 |
| 2010s | 24,348 | 27,221 |
| 2000s | 6,348 | 7,506 |
| 1990s | 2,209 | 1,903 |
| 1980s | 1,360 | 907 |
| 1970s | 726 | 614 |
| 1960s | 718 | 771 |
| 1950s | 686 | 591 |
| 1940s | 691 | 238 |
| 1930s | 798 | 227 |
| 1920s | 1,212 | 336 |
| 1910s | 895 | 185 |
| 1900s | 376 | 23 |
| 1890s | 238 | 5 |
| 1880s | 133 | 0 |
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).
The feminine form of Valentinus (Valentine), from the Latin valens 'strong, vigorous, healthy', from the verb valere 'to be strong'. Carried by several early saints named Valentine.
Valentina is more popular than Emilia today: about 5,354 US babies were given the name Valentina in 2025, compared with 4,677 named Emilia.
Emilia means rival; eager, striving (spanish origin), while Valentina means strong, healthy (spanish origin).
In US records, Emilia first appears in 1880 and Valentina in 1897, so Emilia has the longer recorded history.