Aquila
A Latin name meaning "eagle", representing strength and keen sight.
Name Census estimates that about 845 living Americans carry the first name Aquila. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 85.2% of registrations being female. The average person named Aquila today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aquila births was 1977 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aquila. 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.
People living today
845
~ 1 in 405,626 Americans
Peak year
1977
35 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,909
Tracked since 1955
Gender
Gender distribution for Aquila
Aquila leans heavily female at 85.2% of total registrations, but 131 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Aquila as a male name
- Ranked #10,909 in 2023
- 6 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2021 (17 births)
Aquila as a female name
- Ranked #12,246 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1991 (33 births)
Popularity
Aquila: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aquila from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 221 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Aquila remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aquila 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 Aquila during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Aquilas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Aquila
The name Aquila has its origins in the Latin language. It is derived from the word "aquila," which means "eagle" in Latin. The name can be traced back to ancient Roman times, with records indicating its use as early as the 1st century AD.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Aquila was Aquila of Sinope, a Jewish translator who lived in the 2nd century AD. He is known for his translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, which became known as the Aquila translation.
In the Christian tradition, the name Aquila is associated with Aquila and Priscilla, a couple mentioned in the New Testament as companions of the Apostle Paul. They are celebrated as saints in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.
During the Middle Ages, the name Aquila was relatively uncommon, but it gained popularity in the Renaissance period. One notable bearer of the name was Aquila Romanus, a 16th-century Italian philosopher and humanist (born around 1490, died around 1547).
In the 17th century, Aquila Aufidius (1629-1677) was an Italian composer and organist known for his contributions to the development of the church sonata.
Another notable bearer of the name was Aquila von Tromau (1699-1768), a German-born painter and engraver who worked in the Baroque and Rococo styles.
In the 19th century, Aquila Dodgson (1804-1868) was an English mathematician and clergyman, best known for his work on the theory of condensation of geometrical figures.
The name Aquila has also been associated with various fictional characters, including Aquila from the book series "The Eagle of the Ninth" by Rosemary Sutcliff, and Aquila, a character in the video game series "Assassin's Creed."
While the name Aquila has its roots in ancient Roman culture, it has transcended its origins and has been used across various cultures and eras, often associated with individuals who have made significant contributions in fields such as religion, philosophy, art, and science.
People
Aquila + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aquila 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
Aquila: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aquila?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 845 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aquila 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 405,626 US residents.
Is Aquila a common name?
We classify Aquila as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 885 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aquila most popular?
The single biggest year for Aquila was 1977, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aquila is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Aquila a female name?
Yes, 85.2% of people registered as Aquila in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.