girls' name ★ peaked 1971

Angela

Meaning messenger, angel Gender Girl Rank 2025 #408 Trend ↓ Falling 13%

Feminine form of Church Latin Angelus, from Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos, “messenger, angel”).

Rank 2025
#408
among girls · ↓127 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
765
named Angela · -32% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,101
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1971
25,993 babies
All-time total
675,392
#38 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Angela popularity over time

675,392 babies have been named Angela since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
510152018801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 232 – 232 23 – #361
1890s 671 – 671 67 +189% #298
1900s 1,400 – 1,400 140 +109% #248
1910s 5,518 5 5,523 552 +295% #212
1920s 6,273 68 6,341 634 +15% #233
1930s 6,518 36 6,554 655 +3% #214
1940s 12,256 37 12,293 1,229 +88% #150
1950s 40,357 106 40,463 4,046 +229% #68
1960s 159,294 404 159,698 15,970 +295% #7
1970s 225,262 771 226,033 22,603 +42% #5
1980s 116,595 483 117,078 11,708 -48% #12
1990s 45,171 141 45,312 4,531 -61% #52
2000s 31,319 84 31,403 3,140 -31% #77
2010s 15,494 – 15,494 1,549 -51% #160
2020s (to 2025) 6,897 – 6,897 1,150 -26% #226

Where Angela is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 740 0.46 #423
2027 719 0.45 #431
2028 702 0.44 #440
2029 687 0.43 #451
2030 675 0.42 #458

Where Angela is most popular

Girls named Angela per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.703 per 1,000. Strongest in Nevada, Texas, and Arizona.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Angela born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Nevada 74 1.59 +126%
Texas 1,117 1.39 +97%
Arizona 186 1.33 +88%
Delaware 15 1.32 +88%
California 1,091 1.30 +85%
New Mexico 30 1.23 +75%
Nebraska 35 0.974 +38%
Oklahoma 71 0.965 +37%
Maryland 101 0.953 +35%
District of Columbia 11 0.928 +32%
Alabama 80 0.852 +21%
Kansas 47 0.815 +16%
Illinois 184 0.804 +14%
New Jersey 143 0.792 +13%
Colorado 88 0.788 +12%
Oregon 51 0.783 +11%
Iowa 45 0.770 +9%
Wisconsin 77 0.748 +6%
Georgia 168 0.740 +5%
Tennessee 117 0.739 +5%
Washington 104 0.720 ≈ national
Virginia 122 0.716 ≈ national
North Carolina 160 0.703 ≈ national
Florida 298 0.696 ≈ national
Indiana 93 0.662 -6%
New York 262 0.662 -6%
South Carolina 59 0.656 -7%
Massachusetts 79 0.653 -7%
Connecticut 38 0.653 -7%
Louisiana 57 0.651 -7%
Minnesota 69 0.639 -9%
Arkansas 33 0.624 -11%
Kentucky 52 0.608 -14%
Mississippi 24 0.513 -27%
Missouri 61 0.506 -28%
Pennsylvania 115 0.486 -31%
Idaho 16 0.478 -32%
Utah 39 0.469 -33%
Michigan 77 0.423 -40%
Ohio 99 0.417 -41%
Alaska – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Angela

Angela is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #408 in 2025 with 765 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 675,392 American babies have been named Angela. Its peak came in 1971, when 25,993 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Angela stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Angela?

The median living Angela is about 50 years old; half are between 42 and 57. An estimated 617 thousand people named Angela are alive in the United States today.

median 50 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Angela year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 765 #408 – –
2024 1,123 #281 – –
2023 1,214 #255 – –
2022 1,323 #226 – –
2021 1,282 #235 – –
2020 1,190 #251 – –
2019 1,272 #257 – –
2018 1,242 #265 – –
2017 1,352 #234 – –
2016 1,511 #214 – –
2015 1,492 #220 – –
2014 1,737 #191 – –
2013 1,651 #196 – –
2012 1,641 #193 – –
2011 1,679 #189 – –
2010 1,917 #160 – –
2009 2,258 #142 – –
2008 2,542 #132 8 #9,057
2007 2,756 #125 7 #9,837
2006 2,926 #114 9 #8,035
2005 2,897 #113 10 #7,134
2004 3,163 #105 9 #7,564
2003 3,320 #104 12 #5,894
2002 3,714 #83 8 #7,681
2001 3,915 #77 12 #5,687
2000 3,828 #79 9 #6,872
1995 4,119 #85 7 #7,021
1990 6,666 #52 30 #2,312
1985 10,227 #31 43 #1,524
1980 17,969 #12 58 #1,204
1975 23,361 #5 90 #875
1970 24,929 #6 83 #884
1965 18,754 #10 41 #1,190
1960 8,683 #50 21 #1,774
1955 3,893 #109 5 #3,897
1950 2,057 #148 5 #3,708
1945 1,057 #193 6 #3,001
1940 726 #234 – –
1935 618 #252 – –
1930 639 #244 10 #2,617
1925 560 #282 5 #4,217
1920 665 #255 9 #2,976
1915 698 #225 – –
1910 260 #239 – –
1905 148 #270 – –
1900 107 #327 – –
1895 70 #342 – –
1890 45 #373 – –
1885 18 #501 – –
1880 7 #683 – –

Famous people named Angela

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Angela Lansbury Angela Lansbury British actress and singer (1925–2022) Contemporary
  2. 2 Angela Bassett Angela Bassett American actress (born 1958) Contemporary
  3. 3 Angela White Angela White Australian pornographic film actress (born 1984/85) b. 1985 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Angela Merkel Angela Merkel Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021 b. 1954 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Angela Davis Angela Davis American academic and political activist (born 1944) Contemporary
  6. 6 Angela Cartwright Angela Cartwright British actress (born 1952) Contemporary
  7. 7 Angela Kinsey Angela Kinsey American actress (born 1971) Contemporary
  8. 8 Angela Sarafyan Angela Sarafyan Armenian-American actress b. 1983 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Angela Hitler Angela Hitler Half-sister of Adolf Hitler (1883–1949) 19th century
  10. 10 Angela Bettis Angela Bettis American actress (born 1973) Contemporary
  11. 11 Angela Carter Angela Carter English novelist (1940–1992) Contemporary
  12. 12 Angela Mortimer British tennis player (1932–2025) Contemporary
  13. 13 Angela Merici Angela Merici Christian saint 1474–1540 · Medieval
  14. 14 Angela Winkler Angela Winkler German actress (born 1944) Contemporary
  15. 15 Angela Gheorghiu Angela Gheorghiu Romanian soprano (born 1965) Contemporary
  16. 16 Angela Lindvall Angela Lindvall American model b. 1979 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Angela Visser Angela Visser Dutch actress, model and beauty queen (born 1966) Contemporary
  18. 18 Angela Hewitt Angela Hewitt Canadian classical pianist b. 1958 · Contemporary
  19. 19 Angela Little Angela Little American model and actress (born 1972) Contemporary
  20. 20 Angela of Foligno Angela of Foligno Christian saint 1248–1309 · Medieval

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Angela, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Angela?

The median living Angela is about 50 years old. Half of all living Angelas are between 42 and 57 years old.

How many people named Angela are alive today?

An estimated 617 thousand people named Angela are alive in the United States, based on 675,392 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Angela mean?

Feminine form of Church Latin Angelus, from Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos, “messenger, angel”).

How popular is the name Angela in 2025?

Angela ranked #408 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 765 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Angela?

675,392 babies have been named Angela in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Angela most popular?

Angela peaked in 1971, when 25,993 newborns received the name.

Is Angela a boy or girl name?

Angela is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Angela rising or falling?

Angela is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Angela become more popular?

Angela is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 675 girls named Angela in 2030, which would rank around #458. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Angela?

Well-known people named Angela include Angela Lansbury (actor), Angela Bassett (actor), Angela White (pornographic actor).

Names like Angela

Names that sound and feel close to Angela: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Angela with similar names → More names starting with A →