boy's name
Virgil
VUR-jil
- Origin Latin
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 75,691
Ireland
#321
1977 births
Virgil is misspelled and always has been — the poet's name was Vergilius, and medieval scribes changed the e to an i by association with virgo, which is how a Roman family name acquired a meaning it never had.
- Virgil is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1921, when 1,869 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 25,700 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Virgil 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 | 832 |
| 1890s | 1,439 |
| 1900s | 2,263 |
| 1910s | 11,169 |
| 1920s | 16,335 |
| 1930s | 11,524 |
| 1940s | 9,104 |
| 1950s | 7,408 |
| 1960s | 5,278 |
| 1970s | 3,190 |
| 1980s | 1,762 |
| 1990s | 1,067 |
| 2000s | 685 |
| 2010s | 764 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 633 |
What Virgil means
Virgil has no securely known meaning. The Roman family name Vergilius has no established derivation, and the maiden reading comes from a medieval respelling rather than the word itself.
Where Virgil comes from
Virgil descends from the Roman gens name Vergilius, whose derivation is unrecovered. The i-spelling is a medieval alteration: scribes connected it to virgo, a maiden, partly because of a legend that the poet had magical powers and partly because his fourth Eclogue was read as prophesying Christ's birth. Dante makes him his guide through Hell and Purgatory on the strength of that reputation, so an accidental respelling shaped a thousand years of reading.
Virgil in use
Virgil peaked in the United States in 1921, when 1,869 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It charts in four of the seven markets we track — 1,412th in the United States on 129 births, 4772nd in England and Wales and 5932nd in France — across 75,691 lifetime births. It is the largest name in this group by lifetime volume.
How popular is Virgil?
In 2025, Virgil was given to 129 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Virgil 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.
Names that peaked alongside Virgil
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Virgil also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Virgil over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Virgil 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 Virgil
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Virgil — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Virgil
What does the name Virgil mean?
Not known. The Roman Vergilius has no established derivation.
Why is it spelled with an i?
Medieval scribes connected it to virgo, a maiden, partly because his fourth Eclogue was read as prophesying Christ.
Why does Dante use him?
That same reading gave Virgil a reputation as a proto-Christian sage, which is why he guides Dante.
Is Virgil coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, at 1412th in the United States.
How popular is the name Virgil?
In 2025, Virgil was given to 129 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Virgil a girl's or a boy's name?
Virgil is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Virgil?
Virgil has 2 syllables.
When was Virgil most popular?
Virgil peaked in 1921, when 1,869 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Virgil a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Virgil currently ranks #1,412 in the United States. After peaking in the 1920s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.