Emiliano

Meaning of Emiliano

Emiliano is the Spanish and Italian form of the Roman family name Aemilianus, a derivative of Aemilius. Name dictionaries trace Aemilius to the Latin aemulus, "rival" or "emulating," though the original sense of the family name is not certain. The name is pronounced eh-mee-LYAH-noh in both Spanish and Italian, with the stress on the third syllable.

Its most prominent namesake is Emiliano Zapata (1879–1919), the Mexican revolutionary leader whose land-reform campaign in Morelos gave rise to Zapatismo and who remains a central figure in modern Mexican history. Among living bearers, Emiliano Martínez, the Argentine goalkeeper known as Dibu, is widely recognized for his penalty saves for club and country.

In the United States the name was uncommon for most of the twentieth century, given to a few dozen boys a year as late as the 1980s. It rose steadily from the 1990s: 289 boys were named Emiliano in 2000, when it ranked 632nd, and 2,486 in 2022. In 2025 it was given to 3,701 boys and ranked 94th, its highest position on record and its first appearance in the top 100.

Pronunciation

Spanish,Italian

• Pronunced as eh-mee-LYAH-noh (/e.miˈlja.no/)

• Emilio
• Emile
• Emil
• Emilian
• Emilien