Virlee
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the French name Violette.
Name Census estimates that about 13 living Americans carry the first name Virlee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Virlee today is around 88 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Virlee births was 1936 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Virlee. 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
- • The typical person named Virlee is about 88 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Virlees were born before 1948.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Virlee. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
13
~ 1 in 26,365,718 Americans
Peak year
1936
11 babies that year
Average age
88
years old
1951 SSA rank
#6,188
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Virlee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Virlee from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 38 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Virlee 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 Virlee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Virlees live
Origin
Meaning and history of Virlee
The name Virlee finds its origins in the ancient Germanic languages, with roots that can be traced back to the 5th century AD. The name is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "wira," meaning "man" or "warrior," and "leja," which translates to "play" or "game." Together, these roots combine to form a name that can be interpreted as "a man who enjoys games or play."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Virlee can be found in the Codex Sangallensis, an 8th-century manuscript that contains a collection of ancient Germanic names. This suggests that the name was in use among the Germanic tribes during the early medieval period.
Throughout history, the name Virlee has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded bearers of this name was Virlee of Verden, a German cleric who lived in the 9th century and served as the Bishop of Verden from 857 to 876 AD.
In the 12th century, Virlee the Minstrel was a renowned poet and musician who traveled throughout Europe, entertaining noble courts with his ballads and tales. His works, though largely lost to time, are said to have been influential in shaping the troubadour tradition.
During the Renaissance period, Virlee Bonifacio (1487-1553) was an Italian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the understanding of celestial mechanics. He is credited with developing one of the earliest models of the solar system that accurately depicted the orbits of planets.
In the 18th century, Virlee Cartwright (1725-1795) was an English inventor and textile manufacturer who played a crucial role in the Industrial Revolution. He is best known for inventing the power loom, a mechanical device that revolutionized the weaving process and paved the way for mass production of textiles.
More recently, Virlee Matlin (born 1965) is an American actress who made history as the first deaf performer to win an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the 1986 film "Children of a Lesser God."
While the name Virlee has undergone various spellings and adaptations throughout different cultures and time periods, its core meaning and historical significance remain rooted in its Germanic origins, reflecting the spirit of playfulness, creativity, and achievement.
People
Virlee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Virlee 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
Virlee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Virlee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Virlee 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 26,365,718 US residents.
Is Virlee a common name?
We classify Virlee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 33.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 87 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Virlee most popular?
The single biggest year for Virlee was 1936, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Virlee is about 88 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 Virlee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Virlee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Virlee 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.
Is Virlee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Virlee 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 Virlee 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 common is the name Virlee?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Virlee at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.