Camellia. Camellia /ca-mel-lia/ [4 sylls.] as a girls' name is pronounced ka-MEEL-yah. It is of Latin origin, and the meaning of Camellia is helper to the priest. The meaning of this old Roman surname, which probably originated in pre-Roman Italy, is not certain. The Camellia flower is named for the botanist and missionary Georg Josef Kamel, and is often associated with the name Camille, though they are from different roots. Alexandre Dumas' famous 19th-century play La Dame aux Cam lias was known in America as Camille. See also Kamelia.