Vergil
One with high esteem, venerable, vigilant guard, or flourishing green.
Name Census estimates that about 602 living Americans carry the first name Vergil. It is a predominantly male name (97.2% of registrations). The average person named Vergil today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vergil births was 1921 (76 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vergil. 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.
Key insights
- • Although Vergil is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 56 girls registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
602
~ 1 in 569,359 Americans
Peak year
1921
76 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,560
Tracked since 1886
Gender
Gender distribution for Vergil
Vergil leans heavily male at 97.2% of total registrations, but 56 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Vergil as a male name
- Ranked #8,245 in 2024
- 10 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1920 (71 births)
Vergil as a female name
- Ranked #5,560 in 1927
- 5 female births in 1927
- Peak: 1917 (9 births)
Popularity
Vergil: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vergil from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 554 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vergil 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 Vergil during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vergils live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky recorded the most babies named Vergil, while West Virginia, Virginia, Nebraska recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Vergil
The name Vergil has its origins in the ancient Latin language, derived from the word "virga," meaning a branch or twig. This name was prominent in ancient Rome, where it was associated with the renowned poet Publius Vergilius Maro, better known as Virgil or Vergil, who lived from 70 BC to 19 BC.
Virgil was a celebrated Roman poet renowned for his epic work, the Aeneid, which narrated the story of Aeneas, a Trojan hero who survived the fall of Troy and journeyed to Italy, becoming an ancestor of the Roman people. The Aeneid was widely regarded as a literary masterpiece and had a profound influence on Western literature.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Vergil can be found in the works of the ancient Roman historian Livy, who lived from 59 BC to 17 AD. Livy mentioned a Vergil in his historical accounts, indicating the name's usage during that time period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Vergil. One of the most famous was Polydore Vergil, an Italian historian and priest born in 1470 and died in 1555. He is best known for his historical works, including the Anglica Historia, which chronicled the history of England.
Another prominent figure named Vergil was the English poet and satirist John Vergil, born in 1565 and died in 1639. He was known for his biting satires and is often considered one of the most influential English satirists of his time.
In the realm of philosophy, Vergil Polydore, an Italian philosopher born in 1470 and died in 1555, made significant contributions to the Renaissance era. His works explored a wide range of topics, including history, theology, and ethics.
The name Vergil also found its way into religious texts, such as the Gnostic texts from the Nag Hammadi library, where a figure named Vergil is mentioned in some of the codices.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Vergil, showcasing its enduring legacy and influence across various fields and cultures.
People
Vergil + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vergil as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Vergil: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vergil?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 602 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vergil 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 569,359 US residents.
Is Vergil a common name?
We classify Vergil as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,005 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vergil most popular?
The single biggest year for Vergil was 1921, when 76 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vergil is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Vergil a male name?
Yes, 97.2% of people registered as Vergil 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.
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.