girl's name
Angelina
an-juh-LEE-nuh
- Origin Italian
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 4
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 157,851
the United States
#347
2025 births
Angelina means little angel, and the Greek root behind it means a messenger — the winged being is a later idea layered onto a word for someone carrying news. It ranks within 29 places across six markets.
- Angelina is a name of Italian origin.
- Peaked in 2005, when 5,813 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,789 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 4 syllables, with the stress on syllable 3.
Angelina over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 188 |
| 1890s | 646 |
| 1900s | 1,700 |
| 1910s | 6,659 |
| 1920s | 9,730 |
| 1930s | 4,591 |
| 1940s | 2,345 |
| 1950s | 2,488 |
| 1960s | 3,720 |
| 1970s | 6,357 |
| 1980s | 8,227 |
| 1990s | 10,210 |
| 2000s | 42,863 |
| 2010s | 20,593 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,075 |
What Angelina means
Angelina means little angel, or little messenger. The Greek angelos is the ordinary word for a messenger, and the diminutive ending adds affection rather than changing the sense.
Where Angelina comes from
Angelina is an Italian diminutive of Angela, from the Greek angelos — a messenger. The theological sense came from translation: Hebrew scripture used a word for a messenger, Greek rendered it angelos, and the winged figure of later art grew from the office rather than the word. The same root gives evangelist, a bringer of good news, and the angel in Los Angeles, named for Our Lady Queen of the Angels. Angelina is one of a large Italian family alongside Angelo, Angelica and Angelique.
Angelina in use
Angelina peaked in the United States in 2005, when 5,813 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 318th in France on 225 births, 326th in Ireland on 12 and 347th in the United States on 875 — three markets within 29 places of each other — then 419th in Northern Ireland and 793rd in England and Wales, across 157,851 lifetime births in six of the seven markets we track.
How popular is Angelina?
In 2025, Angelina was given to 875 babies in the United States, ranking #347 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Angelina 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 Angelina is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Angélina | Angélina is Angelina written with an acute accent, used in France, where it ranks #710. | 2,870 |
| Angèlina | Angèlina is a rare spelling of Angelina, written with a grave accent and recorded about 10 times, mostly in France. | 10 |
Names that peaked alongside Angelina
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Angelina also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Angelina over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Angelina
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.
Angelina 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 Angelina
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Angelina — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Angelina
What does the name Angelina mean?
Little angel — from the Greek angelos, a messenger.
Does angel mean messenger?
Originally, yes. The winged figure came from later art; the word names the office of carrying news.
Is Los Angeles related?
Yes — named for Our Lady Queen of the Angels, from the same Greek root.
How popular is Angelina?
318th in France, 326th in Ireland and 347th in the United States — within 29 places of each other.
Is Angelina a girl's or a boy's name?
Angelina is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Angelina?
Angelina has 4 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Angelina?
Angelina is usually shortened to Angie and Lina.
Is Angelina a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Angelina currently ranks #318 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.