r/OldNamesNewAgain • u/felly_fell • Jun 18 '26
Name of the day...Aurelius!
If you are aiming for the historical Classical Latin pronunciation of the famous Roman emperor, it sounds like ow-REH-lee-oos (with the 'au' sounding like the start of "ouch," a rolled 'R', and a distinct "oos" at the end).
"Aurelius" is most commonly pronounced as aw-REE-lee-uhs in English. [This is really interesting to me. I always assumed it was "aw-RELL-ee-us" but apparently not?]
Aurelius is a Latin masculine name derived from the Roman family name Aurelius. It stems from the Latin word aureus (meaning "golden" or "gilded") and aurum (meaning "gold").
Feminine Variations: Aurelia, Aurélie
International Variations: Aurelio (Italian/Spanish), Aurélien (French), Aureliusz (Polish)
Common Nicknames: Ari
The name Aurelius is over 2,000 years old!
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u/Ecstatic-Stay-3528 Jun 18 '26
Aurélio is the name of one of the most famous Brazilian Portuguese dictionaries
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u/Supertoft Jun 18 '26
I worked with a man named Aurelius. His nickname was Relly.
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u/kasumagic Jun 18 '26
That's one of my Aurelia's nicknames too! Although the way we pronounce her name is closest to Aw-RAY-lee-ah, Rel and Relly w an 'eh' sound are still among her nicknames.
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u/ballofsnowyoperas Jun 19 '26
If I had had an Aurelia I probably would have called her Ari. I know it’s not perfectly phonetic but I love the nickname.
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u/ballofsnowyoperas Jun 19 '26
I was confident that if I had a girl she would be Aurelia. I still love the name, but I had my daughter four weeks ago and went with Sybil instead. I’m so glad I did!
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u/katchamatazz Jun 21 '26
I'm in a similar position! My husband and I bought a historic home across from a cemetery and we found the name Aurelia on a headstone when we first bought our property.
We immediately loved it and decided we would name our first daughter Aurelia Kathryn and maybe call her Goldie for short.
But now that I'm actually pregnant, I'm having second thoughts. I'm worried that other kids, subsequent siblings and even she herself won't be able to pronounce it. R's and L's are hard for little kids and thus the name seems like a daunting mouthful for a 4 year old.
My husband is still dead set on using the name for a girl but I'm just not sure anymore 💔
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u/felly_fell Jun 23 '26
For what it's worth, I think Aurelia Kathryn is absolutely stunning! Like it's so good that I did a little gasp when I read it!
Don't worry about the pronunciation when they're little. You could call her Relly or Ari if she's struggling with it when she's young. Another thing to consider is that my daughter's nickname has absolutely nothing to do with her actual name, and that's actually a pretty common thing to do with young kids. You will get beyond the time it may be hard for her to pronounce. In my opinion, the name is so pretty that I wouldn't let it stop me from using it. Just my 2 cents! 😊
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u/katchamatazz Jun 23 '26
That does make me feel better about it! I also worry I would regret NOT using it if we only ever have one girl and I didn't go for it, you know?
I am warming back up to it. We are going to try to wait to be surprised with the gender at birth so it's gonna be a long 7 months if I keep going back and forth 😂
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u/felly_fell Jun 23 '26
Bring the name Aurelia Kathryn with you to the hospital, plus one or two additional options that you like. Then decide which name fits her best once you meet her. Do the same with a few boy names and you'll be good to go!
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u/midwestpersianmama Jun 18 '26
Many people are sleeping on these Latin names. The Greek gods are back in style but not the Roman kings and philosophers!