Vergil
Vergil was the 5191st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 19 babies. Its best year was 1896, when it ranked 671st; the most babies were born in 1920 (71). Over the last ten years it has moved up 6,811 places. More babies were named Vergil in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Virgil) Origin uncertain · Latin, Etruscan
- Rank in 2025
- #5,191 boys, up 21 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 19boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 192071 babies
- Total since 1880
- 2,024babies recorded
What does the name Vergil mean?
Vergil is a spelling of Virgil, pronounced the same way, so it shares Virgil's meaning and origin.
Virgil is the English name of the Roman poet Publius Vergilius Maro (70–19 BC), author of the Aeneid. Vergilius was a Roman clan name; both DMNES and Wiktionary say its meaning is unknown, and it may be Etruscan. DMNES notes that the poet's renewed fame in the Renaissance spread the name, and that Irish writers sometimes used the Latin form for the Irish name Fergal. In English it has been given as a first name mostly in America since the 19th century.
Vergilius (Latin, “Roman clan name of unknown meaning”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. The source (a Roman clan name) is clear; its meaning is unknown.
Related names: Vergil, Virgilio.
See also: Latin names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Virgil', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Virgil', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Virgil (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Vergil popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 56 since 1902.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,191 | 19 |
| 2020 | #5,212 | 18 |
| 2010 | — | — |
| 2000 | — | — |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | #4,479 | 9 |
| 1970 | #2,507 | 15 |
| 1960 | #3,649 | 7 |
| 1950 | #2,571 | 10 |
| 1940 | #2,314 | 11 |
| 1930 | #1,232 | 34 |
| 1920 | #801 | 71 |
| 1910 | #1,576 | 6 |
| 1900 | #1,492 | 5 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Vergil, counting every spelling?
Vergil is a spelling of Virgil, a name family that ranked #1,244 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #5,191 for Vergil on its own. Together these spellings went to 148 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virgil | 129 | #1,417 | 548 |
| Vergil | 19 | #5,191 | 83 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Vergil?
19 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Vergil (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Vergil born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 439 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Vergil.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Vergil?
About 500 people born in the US named Vergil are alive today, with a median age of 56; half are between 10 and 73. That makes Vergil a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Vergil: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Vergil, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Vergil
What does Vergil mean?
The origin of Virgil is uncertain: the source (a Roman clan name) is clear; its meaning is unknown.
How popular is the name Vergil?
Vergil was the 5191st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 19 babies. Its best year was 1896, when it ranked 671st; the most babies were born in 1920 (71). Over the last ten years it has moved up 6,811 places. More babies were named Vergil in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Vergil a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Vergil in the US.