2000
#11,349
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,551
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Virgil
A surname derived from the Latin name Vergilius, likely referring to someone from the clan of Vergilius.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,962 Americans carry the last name Virgil. That puts it at #11,628 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,717 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Virgil surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 115,717
Census rank
#11,628
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,583 bearers of the surname Virgil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11628th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Virgil, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.7%. The next largest groups are White (32.0%) and Hispanic (13.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Virgil
Among Census respondents with the surname Virgil, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.7%. The next largest groups are White (32.0%) and Hispanic (13.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Virgil bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Virgil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American48.7% · 1,257
- White32.0% · 827
- Hispanic or Latino13.1% · 338
- Two or more races4.8% · 123
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Virgil
Virgil appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,746
+195 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 117 places
2020
#11,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,583
-163 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 162 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,349 | 2,551 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,466 | 2,746 | 0.93 | +195 bearers (+7.6%) | Down 117 places |
| 2020 | #11,628 | 2,583 | 0.86 | -163 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 162 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Virgil surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,466 | #11,628 | -1.4% |
| Count | 2,746 | 2,583 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.86 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Virgil bearers went from 2,746 to 2,583 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 162 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,466 to #11,628.
FAQ
Virgil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Virgil?
Name Census estimates that about 2,962 living Americans carry the surname Virgil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,717 residents.
How common is Virgil?
Virgil ranks #11,628 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,583 people with the surname Virgil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,962), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Virgil.
Has Virgil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Virgil went from 2,746 recorded bearers to 2,583. That is a decrease of 163 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,466 to #11,628.
What does the Census say about the background of Virgil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Virgil, the largest self-reported group is Black at 48.7%. The next largest groups are White (32.0%) and Hispanic (13.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Virgil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.7% (1,257 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Virgil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (48.7%), White (32.0%), Hispanic (13.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Virgil (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Virgil mean?
A surname derived from the Latin name Vergilius, likely referring to someone from the clan of Vergilius. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Virgil (0.86 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Virgil?
Want to know how many people have the surname Virgil? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.