Aquilla
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "eagle" or "rising star".
Name Census estimates that about 625 living Americans carry the first name Aquilla. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 89.1% of registrations being female. The average person named Aquilla today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aquilla births was 1919 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aquilla. 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
625
~ 1 in 548,407 Americans
Peak year
1919
26 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
2017 SSA rank
#12,396
Tracked since 1889
Gender
Gender distribution for Aquilla
Aquilla leans heavily female at 89.1% of total registrations, but 121 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Aquilla as a male name
- Ranked #12,396 in 2017
- 5 male births in 2017
- Peak: 1918 (9 births)
Aquilla as a female name
- Ranked #13,964 in 2018
- 6 female births in 2018
- Peak: 1986 (22 births)
Popularity
Aquilla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aquilla from the 1880s through to the 2010s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 169 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aquilla 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 Aquilla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Aquillas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Aquilla, while Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Aquilla
The given name Aquilla has its origins in Latin, derived from the word "aquila," meaning "eagle." This name was prevalent in ancient Rome and the broader Roman Empire during the classical era.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Aquilla dates back to the 1st century AD, when it was borne by Aquilla Romanus, a Roman jurist and philosopher who lived during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. Aquilla Romanus is known for his contributions to the study of Roman law and his philosophical works.
Another notable historical figure with the name Aquilla was Aquilla of Sinope, a Jewish scholar who lived in the 2nd century AD. He is renowned for his Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, which became known as the Aquila of Sinope version.
In the 3rd century AD, Aquilla of Pontus was a Christian theologian and writer who composed several works on biblical interpretation and theological subjects.
During the Byzantine Empire, the name Aquilla was associated with Aquilla of Byzantium, a renowned rhetorician and grammarian who lived in the 5th century AD. He is credited with writing influential works on grammar and rhetoric.
The name Aquilla also appeared in the 6th century AD, borne by Aquilla of Arabissus, a Christian monk and theologian who played a significant role in the theological debates of his time.
While the name Aquilla has its roots in ancient Roman and Greek cultures, it has been used across various regions and time periods throughout history. Its association with the majestic eagle and its historical significance have contributed to its enduring appeal as a given name.
People
Aquilla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aquilla 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
Aquilla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aquilla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 625 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aquilla 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 548,407 US residents.
Is Aquilla a common name?
We classify Aquilla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,107 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aquilla most popular?
The single biggest year for Aquilla was 1919, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aquilla is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Aquilla a female name?
Yes, 89.1% of people registered as Aquilla 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.