girl's name
Angelica
an-JEL-i-kuh
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 4
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 99,099
the United States
#708
2025 births
Angelica is both a name and a plant, and the plant is named for the angel — a medieval legend has one reveal it as a cure during plague, which is why it was grown in monastery gardens.
- Angelica is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1996, when 3,412 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 8,330 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1892.
- 4 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Angelica over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1890s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 17 |
| 1900s | 23 |
| 1910s | 179 |
| 1920s | 306 |
| 1930s | 328 |
| 1940s | 387 |
| 1950s | 828 |
| 1960s | 2,369 |
| 1970s | 9,781 |
| 1980s | 19,234 |
| 1990s | 31,426 |
| 2000s | 18,716 |
| 2010s | 7,144 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,800 |
What Angelica means
Angelica means angelic, or like an angel. The Greek angelos is the ordinary word for a messenger, so the theological sense arrived through translation rather than the word itself.
Where Angelica comes from
Angelica is the Latin feminine of angelicus, angelic, from the Greek angelos — a messenger. The herb of the same name carries it because a medieval legend has an angel reveal the plant as a remedy during an outbreak of plague; it was grown in monastery gardens and is still used to flavor gin and Chartreuse. Ariosto gave the name to the princess in Orlando Furioso in 1516, which carried it through European literature.
Angelica in use
Angelica peaked in the United States in 1996, when 3,412 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 708th in the United States on 398 births, 1124th in England and Wales on 30 and 2745th in France on 20, across 99,099 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. Our records carry it from 1880.
How popular is Angelica?
In 2025, Angelica was given to 398 babies in the United States, ranking #708 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Angelica is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Angelica is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Angélica | Angélica is a rare spelling of Angelica, written with an acute accent and recorded about 155 times, mostly in France. | 155 |
Names that peaked alongside Angelica
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Angelica also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Angelica over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Angelica
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Angelica in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Angelica
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Angelica — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Angelica
What does the name Angelica mean?
Angelic — from the Greek angelos, a messenger.
Is the herb named after the name?
After the angel. A legend has one reveal the plant as a plague remedy, and it was grown in monastery gardens.
Is Angelica in literature?
Ariosto gave it to the princess in Orlando Furioso in 1516.
How popular is Angelica?
708th in the United States, down from a 1996 peak of 3,412 births.
Is Angelica a girl's or a boy's name?
Angelica is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Angelica?
Angelica has 4 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Angelica?
Angelica is usually shortened to Angie and Jelly.
Is Angelica a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Angelica currently ranks #708 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.