boys' name ★ peaked 1921

Virgil

Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #1,417 Trend ↑ Rising 53%

Virgil is the most common modern English name used for the Roman poet Publius Vergilius Maro.

Rank 2025
#1,417
among boys · ↑133 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
129
named Virgil · +13% vs 2024
How common
1 in 13,241
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1921
1,869 babies
All-time total
73,453
#396 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Virgil popularity over time

73,453 babies have been named Virgil 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
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 5 827 832 83 – #137
1890s 90 1,349 1,439 144 +73% #110
1900s 129 2,134 2,263 226 +57% #93
1910s 311 10,858 11,169 1,117 +394% #99
1920s 343 15,992 16,335 1,634 +46% #98
1930s 161 11,363 11,524 1,152 -29% #121
1940s 154 8,950 9,104 910 -21% #166
1950s 122 7,286 7,408 741 -19% #234
1960s 70 5,208 5,278 528 -29% #296
1970s 43 3,147 3,190 319 -40% #392
1980s 16 1,746 1,762 176 -45% #570
1990s – 1,067 1,067 107 -39% #807
2000s – 685 685 69 -36% #1,599
2010s – 764 764 76 +12% #1,660
2020s (to 2025) – 633 633 106 +38% #1,417

Where Virgil is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 138 0.08 outside top 500
2027 146 0.09 outside top 500
2028 153 0.09 outside top 500
2029 160 0.09 outside top 500
2030 166 0.10 outside top 500

Where Virgil is most popular

Boys named Virgil per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.063 per 1,000. Strongest in Arizona, Colorado, and California.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Virgil 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Arizona 14 0.086 +35%
Colorado 11 0.085 +34%
California 70 0.077 +21%
Indiana 12 0.075 +18%
North Carolina 18 0.070 +11%
Texas 55 0.062 ≈ national
Tennessee 11 0.061 ≈ national
Virginia 11 0.058 -9%
Oklahoma 5 0.057 -11%
Georgia 10 0.039 -38%
Ohio 8 0.030 -52%
Pennsylvania 8 0.030 -53%
Florida 6 0.013 -80%
New York 5 0.012 -82%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Virgil

Virgil is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,417 in 2025 with 129 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 73,453 American babies have been named Virgil. Its peak came in 1921, when 1,869 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

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 Virgil stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Virgil?

The median living Virgil is about 65 years old; half are between 51 and 77. An estimated 24 thousand people named Virgil are alive in the United States today.

median 65 020406080100

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

Virgil 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 – – 129 #1,417
2024 – – 114 #1,550
2023 – – 123 #1,471
2022 – – 81 #1,937
2021 – – 101 #1,657
2020 – – 85 #1,787
2019 – – 91 #1,735
2018 – – 73 #2,014
2017 – – 96 #1,660
2016 – – 88 #1,762
2015 – – 70 #2,052
2014 – – 75 #1,943
2013 – – 68 #2,018
2012 – – 50 #2,516
2011 – – 73 #1,925
2010 – – 80 #1,830
2009 – – 64 #2,141
2008 – – 54 #2,404
2007 – – 73 #1,948
2006 – – 69 #1,966
2005 – – 69 #1,868
2004 – – 75 #1,714
2003 – – 69 #1,761
2002 – – 71 #1,680
2001 – – 75 #1,599
2000 – – 66 #1,723
1995 – – 96 #1,186
1990 – – 159 #807
1985 5 #12,450 147 #730
1980 6 #10,358 203 #617
1975 – – 311 #452
1970 – – 408 #397
1965 9 #4,819 503 #338
1960 9 #4,767 687 #296
1955 10 #4,058 699 #268
1950 13 #3,044 786 #234
1945 18 #2,055 845 #183
1940 16 #2,104 938 #166
1935 17 #2,000 1,104 #141
1930 31 #1,401 1,371 #128
1925 22 #1,890 1,503 #120
1920 57 #979 1,711 #101
1915 34 #1,188 1,376 #108
1910 18 #1,068 280 #111
1905 15 #1,009 226 #97
1900 16 #969 212 #111
1895 6 #1,585 146 #116
1890 5 #1,526 100 #142
1885 – – 82 #165
1880 – – 81 #164

Famous people named Virgil

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

  1. 1 Virgil Virgil 1st-century-BC Roman poet -70–-19 · Antiquity
  2. 2 Virgil Abloh Virgil Abloh American fashion designer and entrepreneur (1980–2021) Contemporary
  3. 3 Virgil Donati Virgil Donati Australian drummer (born 1958) Contemporary
  4. 4 Virgil Thomson Virgil Thomson American composer and critic (1896–1989) 19th century
  5. 5 Virgil Widrich Virgil Widrich Austrian director and scriptwriter (born 1967) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Virgil?

The median living Virgil is about 65 years old. Half of all living Virgils are between 51 and 77 years old.

How many people named Virgil are alive today?

An estimated 24 thousand people named Virgil are alive in the United States, based on 73,453 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Virgil mean?

Virgil is the most common modern English name used for the Roman poet Publius Vergilius Maro.

How popular is the name Virgil in 2025?

Virgil ranked #1,417 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 129 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Virgil?

73,453 babies have been named Virgil in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Virgil most popular?

Virgil peaked in 1921, when 1,869 newborns received the name.

Is Virgil a boy or girl name?

Virgil is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Virgil rising or falling?

Virgil is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Virgil become more popular?

Virgil is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 166 boys named Virgil in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Virgil?

Well-known people named Virgil include Virgil (writer), Virgil Abloh (designer), Virgil Donati (musician).

Names like Virgil

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

Compare Virgil with similar names → More names starting with V →