Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Amalia

Amalia is the Latinized form of the Germanic Amal meaning “to work, industrious” (Amelia comes from the same root source). English speakers have typically used Amelia while the French use Amélie. Amalia with an “a” is more common among German and Scandinavians and has been borne by several members of royal families and European nobility especially during the 17th to 19th centuries. A German princess by the name of Anna Amalia who became Duchess of Saxe-Weimar by marriage influenced the use of her name in the late 18th century. A composer in her own right, Anna Amalia drew attention to German culture by supporting the arts and drawing such luminaries to her court as Goethe, Herder and Schiller. Amalia Freud was the name of Sigmund Freud’s mother – in Jewish tradition Amalia means “labor of God” and was popular among early members of the Zionist movement.

All About the Baby Name – Amalia

Personality

OF THE GIRL NAME AMALIA

The number one personality is a leader - strong and competitive. They are willing to initiate action and take risks. One personalities work hard toward their endeavors and have the ability to apply their creative and innovative thinking skills with strong determination. They believe in their ability to succeed and are too stubborn to be hindered by obstacles. Ones meet obstacles head-on with such mental vigor and energy that you better step aside. They resent taking orders, so don't try telling them what to do either. This is an intensely active personality, but they are also known as starters rather than finishers. They have a propensity to become bored and will move quickly to the next project if not properly challenged.  They are the ones to think up and put into action new and brilliant ideas, but they are not the ones to stick around and manage them. This personality has an enthusiastic and pioneering spirit. They are distinctly original.

Popularity

OF THE GIRL NAME AMALIA

Amalia just returned to the U.S. female naming charts after a long 75+ year hiatus from usage. Meanwhile, Amelia was ranked #30 in popularity in 2011. Obviously Americans vastly prefer Amelia over Amalia, but at least Amalia is back on the Top 1000 list apparently back into circulation. It seems pretty obvious that Amalia’s rediscovery has everything to do with the rising usage of Amelia – Amalia has become an option for parents who like the name Amelia but don’t want a girl’s name quite so hyper-trendy. Amalia is also the more common Spanish form of Amelia so Hispanic-Americans have probably also helped put her back on the map. Even though Amelia and Amalia come from the same place and mean the same thing, they do sound distinctly different. We also love the fact that Amalia is a 1 in numerology – a very “industrious” number!

Quick Facts

ON AMALIA

GENDER:

Girl

ORIGIN:

German

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

4

RANKING POPULARITY:

932

PRONUNCIATION:

ah-MAH-lee-ah

SIMPLE MEANING:

Work, industrious

Characteristics

OF AMALIA

Independent

Individualistic

Ambitious

Strong-willed

Inventive

Successful

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Amalia

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME AMALIA

Amalia is one of the most popular Latin American novels and, until recently, was required reading in Argentina's schools. It was written to protest the dictatorship of Juan Manuel de Rosas and to provide a picture of the political events during his regime, but the book's popularity stemmed from the love story that fuels the plot. Originally published in 1851 in serial form, Marmol's novel recounts the story of Eduardo and Amalia, who fall in love while he is hiding in her home. Amalia and her cousin Daniel protect him from Rosist persecution, but before the couple and the cousin can escape to safety, they are discovered by the death squad and the young men die. Similar in style to the romantic novels of Walter Scott, Amalia provides a detailed picture of life under a dictatorship combined with lively dialogue, drama, and a tragic love story.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME AMALIA

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Amalia


Popular Songs

ON AMALIA

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Amalia


Famous People

NAMED AMALIA

Amália Rodrigues (Portuguese singer)
Amalia Freud (mother of Sigmund Freud)

Children of Famous People

NAMED AMALIA

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Amalia

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME AMALIA

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Amalia