Find out how popular the last name Virgil is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Virgil.

Virgil, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Virgil surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Virgil in America

Virgil is the 11466th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Virgil surname appeared 2,746 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Virgil.

We can also compare 2010 data for Virgil to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Virgil

The surname Virgil originated in ancient Rome, deriving from the famous Roman poet Publius Vergilius Maro, commonly known as Virgil or Vergil, who lived from 70 BC to 19 BC. The name is a Latinized form of the ancient Roman name Vergilius, which is believed to have derived from the Latin word "virga," meaning a young shoot or twig.

In the Middle Ages, the name Virgil became associated with various legends and myths surrounding the Roman poet. These legends often depicted him as a powerful sorcerer or magician, leading to the widespread adoption of the name across Europe. The earliest recorded instances of the surname Virgil can be found in medieval records and manuscripts from Italy, France, and England.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Virgil was Virgil of Salzburg, a medieval scholar and bishop who lived from around 700 AD to 784 AD. He was known for his contributions to the fields of philosophy, astronomy, and mathematics, and his work helped preserve and transmit ancient Roman knowledge during the Middle Ages.

Another notable figure bearing the surname Virgil was Polydore Virgil, an Italian humanist scholar who lived from 1470 to 1555. He is best known for his historical works, including "De Inventoribus Rerum" (On the Inventors of Things), which explored the origins of various inventions and discoveries.

In England, the surname Virgil can be traced back to the Norman Conquest in the 11th century. The Domesday Book of 1086 records several individuals with variations of the name, such as Virgile and Virgilio, indicating its presence in the country at that time.

Other notable individuals with the surname Virgil include:

1. Aurelio Virgilio Anselmi (1566-1626), an Italian jurist and legal scholar.
2. Virgilio Gazzolo (1867-1945), an Italian painter and sculptor.
3. Virgil Thomson (1896-1989), an American composer and music critic.
4. Virgil Trucks (1917-2013), an American professional baseball player.
5. Virgil Abloh (1980-2021), an American fashion designer and entrepreneur.

Throughout its history, the surname Virgil has been associated with various place names and locations, such as the Italian town of Virgilio and the French commune of Vergèze. Additionally, the name has been subject to various spelling variations, including Virgilio, Vergil, and Vergilius, reflecting its linguistic and cultural adaptations across different regions and time periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Virgil

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Virgil.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Virgil was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Virgil has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Virgil was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Virgil, please contact us.

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