'aurelia' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'Aurelia', the feminine form of 'Aurelius', where the root 'aureus' meant 'golden'.

'aurelia' changed from the Latin personal name 'Aurelia' (used in ancient Rome) into Medieval and later European given-name forms; in modern scientific usage the Latin name was adopted as the genus name 'Aurelia' for moon jellies, and the form entered English largely unchanged.

Initially it was a personal name meaning 'belonging to Aurelius' or 'golden'; over time it came to be used both as a feminine given name and as a taxonomic genus name for certain jellyfish.