Aengus
An Irish masculine name meaning "unique vigor" or "one choice".
Name Census estimates that about 199 living Americans carry the first name Aengus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Aengus today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aengus births was 2014 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aengus. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Aengus with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
199
~ 1 in 1,722,384 Americans
Peak year
2014
20 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,889
Tracked since 1996
Popularity
Aengus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aengus from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 105 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aengus by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Aengus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Aengus
The given name Aengus has its origins in Celtic mythology and Irish folklore. It is derived from the Old Irish word "oengus" which means "one strength" or "one choice". The name can be traced back to the ancient Celtic god Aengus Óg, also known as Aengus mac Óg or Aengus the Young.
Aengus Óg was the Celtic god of love, youth, and poetic inspiration. He was one of the most prominent figures in Irish mythology and was associated with the mythical land of Tír na nÓg, the realm of eternal youth and beauty. The name Aengus was popularized through the tales and legends surrounding this mythological figure.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Aengus can be found in the medieval Irish literary work, the "Book of Invasions" (Lebor Gabála Érenn), which dates back to the 11th century. In this text, Aengus is mentioned as one of the leaders of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a race of supernatural beings in Irish mythology.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Aengus. One of the earliest was Aengus Olmucaid (fl. 6th century), an Irish king and one of the founders of the Cenél Conaill dynasty. Another prominent figure was Aengus mac Fergusa (fl. 8th century), an Irish poet and scholar who is credited with writing the "Felire Óengusso" (The Martyrology of Óengus).
In the 9th century, Aengus Céle Dé (814-824) was an Irish monk and scholar who wrote the "Martyrology of Tallaght", a significant work in Irish hagiography. Aengus Óg Mac an Bhaird (1571-1617) was an Irish poet and member of the famous Bardic family from County Donegal.
More recently, Aengus Finucane (1932-2008) was an Irish actor and playwright who appeared in numerous films and television shows, including "The Commitments" and "My Left Foot". Aengus Fanning (born 1964) is an Irish journalist and broadcaster who has worked for various media organizations, including the BBC and RTÉ.
People
Aengus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aengus as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Aengus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aengus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 199 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aengus going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,722,384 US residents.
Is Aengus a common name?
We classify Aengus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 201 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aengus most popular?
The single biggest year for Aengus was 2014, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aengus is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Aengus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Aengus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Aengus in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Aengus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Aengus in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Aengus can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Aengus?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Aengus at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.