Emily

Emily is an English feminine name derived from the Latin Emilia, the feminine form of the Roman family name Aemilius, which is thought to stem from the Latin root aemulus, meaning rival or striving to equal. The Aemilii were a prominent plebeian clan in ancient Rome, lending the name centuries of classical prestige. Emily became widely popular in the English-speaking world during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, borne most famously by the poet Emily Dickinson and novelist Emily Brontë. Related forms include Emilia, Amelia, Emilie, and the masculine Emil.