Emilio

Similar to Emiliano, Emilio is the Spanish, Portuguese and Italian form of the old Roman cognomen Aemilianus, which was derived from the family name Aemilius coming from the Latin word “aemulus” meaning ‘rival’. This family name is thought to date all the way back to the 8th century B.C. shortly after the legendary founding of Rome by Romulus. Among the oldest and most distinguished of all Roman patrician families, Aemilius would have been considered “gentes maiores” (Latin for major nation). It was Mamercus who first received the name Aemilius on account of the persuasiveness of his language; apparently no one could rival him. Mamercus is sometimes represented as the son of Numa (second King of Rome) or Pythagoras (the ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician). By the 5th century B.C. members of the house of Aemilius obtained consulship, the highest elected political position in the Roman Republic. Perhaps this name’s long and enduring significance in Roman history would be considered hard to ‘rival’. The Spanish tend to use both Emiliano and Emilio. For instance, Emiliano is an extremely popular name in Mexico, while Emilio is favored in Chile.