Angela
Angela was given to 765 girls in 2025, #408 among girls’ names; 675,392 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 605,000 Americans named Angela and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (90% of everyone recorded); the median is 51 years old and half are between 43 and 58.
Angela is the #23 most common first name among living American women and girls, by this estimate.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Angela by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Angela mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Angela is “a female given name from Ancient Greek.” Its etymology gives the sense “messenger, angel” (ἄγγελος).
Feminine form of Church Latin Angelus, from Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos, “messenger, angel”).
/ˈænd͡ʒələ/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Angela?
#408 among girls’ names, 2025
Angela fell from #220 in 2015 to #408 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 0.84 to 0.48 per 1,000.
25,993 babies in 1971, the peak
Angela peaked in 1971, when 25,993 babies were given it (25,901 girls, #6 among girls’ names). The 765 births of 2025 are 3% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 765 | #408 | 0.48 |
| 2024 | 1,123 | #281 | 0.69 |
| 2023 | 1,214 | #255 | 0.76 |
| 2022 | 1,323 | #226 | 0.81 |
| 2021 | 1,282 | #235 | 0.78 |
| 2020 | 1,190 | #251 | 0.74 |
| 2019 | 1,272 | #257 | 0.76 |
| 2018 | 1,242 | #265 | 0.73 |
| 2017 | 1,352 | #234 | 0.78 |
| 2016 | 1,511 | #214 | 0.85 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1,492 | #220 | 0.84 |
| 2014 | 1,737 | #191 | 1.0 |
| 2013 | 1,651 | #196 | 0.94 |
| 2012 | 1,641 | #193 | 0.93 |
| 2011 | 1,679 | #189 | 1.0 |
| 2010 | 1,917 | #160 | 1.1 |
| 2009 | 2,258 | #142 | 1.2 |
| 2008 | 2,542 | #132 | 1.3 |
| 2007 | 2,756 | #125 | 1.4 |
| 2006 | 2,926 | #114 | 1.5 |
| 2005 | 2,897 | #113 | 1.6 |
| 2004 | 3,163 | #105 | 1.7 |
| 2003 | 3,320 | #104 | 1.8 |
| 2002 | 3,714 | #83 | 2.1 |
| 2001 | 3,915 | #77 | 2.2 |
| 2000 | 3,828 | #79 | 2.1 |
| 1999 | 3,632 | #90 | 2.0 |
| 1998 | 3,369 | #100 | 1.9 |
| 1997 | 3,652 | #93 | 2.1 |
| 1996 | 3,867 | #90 | 2.2 |
| 1995 | 4,119 | #85 | 2.3 |
| 1994 | 4,414 | #81 | 2.5 |
| 1993 | 4,572 | #73 | 2.5 |
| 1992 | 5,078 | #69 | 2.8 |
| 1991 | 5,802 | #59 | 3.1 |
| 1990 | 6,666 | #52 | 3.5 |
| 1989 | 7,199 | #47 | 3.9 |
| 1988 | 7,914 | #38 | 4.4 |
| 1987 | 8,583 | #35 | 4.9 |
| 1986 | 9,267 | #33 | 5.4 |
| 1985 | 10,227 | #31 | 5.9 |
| 1984 | 11,291 | #26 | 6.7 |
| 1983 | 13,219 | #22 | 7.9 |
| 1982 | 15,002 | #16 | 8.9 |
| 1981 | 15,924 | #15 | 9.5 |
| 1980 | 17,969 | #12 | 10.8 |
| 1979 | 20,256 | #8 | 12.6 |
| 1978 | 20,517 | #7 | 13.4 |
| 1977 | 20,998 | #6 | 13.7 |
| 1976 | 22,038 | #5 | 15.0 |
| 1975 | 23,361 | #5 | 16.0 |
| 1974 | 22,803 | #5 | 15.5 |
| 1973 | 20,898 | #7 | 14.3 |
| 1972 | 23,561 | #6 | 15.5 |
| 1971 | 25,901 | #6 | 15.6 |
| 1970 | 24,929 | #6 | 14.3 |
| 1969 | 21,060 | #7 | 12.5 |
| 1968 | 20,670 | #7 | 12.6 |
| 1967 | 19,555 | #7 | 11.8 |
| 1966 | 18,532 | #9 | 11.0 |
| 1965 | 18,754 | #10 | 10.6 |
| 1964 | 16,256 | #22 | 8.6 |
| 1963 | 13,277 | #30 | 6.9 |
| 1962 | 11,664 | #36 | 5.9 |
| 1961 | 10,843 | #38 | 5.4 |
| 1960 | 8,683 | #50 | 4.3 |
| 1959 | 6,772 | #68 | 3.3 |
| 1958 | 5,768 | #83 | 2.9 |
| 1957 | 5,326 | #89 | 2.6 |
| 1956 | 5,034 | #93 | 2.5 |
| 1955 | 3,893 | #109 | 2.0 |
| 1954 | 3,543 | #118 | 1.8 |
| 1953 | 3,185 | #120 | 1.7 |
| 1952 | 2,642 | #134 | 1.4 |
| 1951 | 2,137 | #150 | 1.2 |
| 1950 | 2,057 | #148 | 1.2 |
| 1949 | 1,967 | #150 | 1.1 |
| 1948 | 1,801 | #158 | 1.1 |
| 1947 | 1,648 | #176 | 0.93 |
| 1946 | 1,278 | #192 | 0.81 |
| 1945 | 1,057 | #193 | 0.81 |
| 1944 | 1,008 | #200 | 0.76 |
| 1943 | 933 | #215 | 0.67 |
| 1942 | 1,016 | #201 | 0.75 |
| 1941 | 822 | #215 | 0.68 |
| 1940 | 726 | #234 | 0.63 |
| 1939 | 734 | #229 | 0.67 |
| 1938 | 717 | #233 | 0.65 |
| 1937 | 784 | #214 | 0.74 |
| 1936 | 595 | #253 | 0.57 |
| 1935 | 618 | #252 | 0.59 |
| 1934 | 627 | #250 | 0.60 |
| 1933 | 577 | #252 | 0.57 |
| 1932 | 608 | #252 | 0.57 |
| 1931 | 619 | #242 | 0.58 |
| 1930 | 639 | #244 | 0.57 |
| 1929 | 676 | #233 | 0.61 |
| 1928 | 621 | #259 | 0.54 |
| 1927 | 601 | #272 | 0.50 |
| 1926 | 572 | #278 | 0.48 |
| 1925 | 560 | #282 | 0.46 |
| 1924 | 600 | #267 | 0.48 |
| 1923 | 666 | #249 | 0.55 |
| 1922 | 641 | #258 | 0.53 |
| 1921 | 671 | #255 | 0.54 |
| 1920 | 665 | #255 | 0.55 |
| 1919 | 654 | #251 | 0.58 |
| 1918 | 721 | #238 | 0.62 |
| 1917 | 742 | #226 | 0.69 |
| 1916 | 716 | #229 | 0.69 |
| 1915 | 698 | #225 | 0.71 |
| 1914 | 590 | #212 | 0.77 |
| 1913 | 447 | #228 | 0.72 |
| 1912 | 398 | #223 | 0.71 |
| 1911 | 292 | #231 | 0.70 |
| 1910 | 260 | #239 | 0.66 |
| 1909 | 204 | #248 | 0.59 |
| 1908 | 183 | #260 | 0.55 |
| 1907 | 174 | #261 | 0.55 |
| 1906 | 123 | #301 | 0.42 |
| 1905 | 148 | #270 | 0.51 |
| 1904 | 124 | #286 | 0.45 |
| 1903 | 132 | #267 | 0.50 |
| 1902 | 116 | #291 | 0.44 |
| 1901 | 89 | #317 | 0.37 |
| 1900 | 107 | #327 | 0.36 |
| 1899 | 80 | #336 | 0.34 |
| 1898 | 98 | #317 | 0.38 |
| 1897 | 95 | #298 | 0.41 |
| 1896 | 60 | #370 | 0.25 |
| 1895 | 70 | #342 | 0.30 |
| 1894 | 64 | #345 | 0.29 |
| 1893 | 67 | #327 | 0.31 |
| 1892 | 63 | #335 | 0.30 |
| 1891 | 29 | #475 | 0.16 |
| 1890 | 45 | #373 | 0.24 |
| 1889 | 42 | #371 | 0.24 |
| 1888 | 33 | #432 | 0.18 |
| 1887 | 33 | #372 | 0.23 |
| 1886 | 24 | #439 | 0.17 |
| 1885 | 18 | #501 | 0.14 |
| 1884 | 20 | #450 | 0.16 |
| 1883 | 22 | #397 | 0.20 |
| 1882 | 24 | #361 | 0.22 |
| 1881 | 9 | #584 | 0.10 |
| 1880 | 7 | #683 | 0.08 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Angela a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Angela has been given almost only to girls: 2,135 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Angela: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Angela, and how old are they?
605,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 90% of the 675,392 Americans ever recorded as Angela. The median Angela alive today is 51 years old; half are between 43 and 58.
The 2020 Census counted 600,162 people named Angela (599,326 women and girls, 836 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 615,075 born in the U.S. The Census count is 2% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 4,390 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 89,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 318,000 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 130,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 46,800 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 17,000 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Angela born?
The states with the most babies named Angela are California, Texas and New York, with 21% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 56,972 | #287 | 0.8× |
| Texas | 46,048 | #289 | 0.9× |
| New York | 38,610 | #428 | 0.7× |
| Ohio | 37,888 | #748 | 1.1× |
| Illinois | 33,692 | #517 | 1.0× |
| Michigan | 27,782 | #520 | 1.0× |
| Pennsylvania | 26,392 | #350 | 0.8× |
| North Carolina | 25,514 | #491 | 1.4× |
| Florida | 24,009 | #367 | 1.0× |
| Georgia | 23,158 | #305 | 1.3× |
Where Angela is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Angela is most over-represented in North Carolina: since 1910 it was given 1.4 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Angela with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 711,700 babies since 1880, Angela is the most given (95% of them). In 2025 it was given to 765 of their 964 babies (79%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Angela
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Angela and names like it
- Compare Angela and AngeliaBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1970sAngela peaked in 1971.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Angela since 1910.
- Ancient Greek namesWiktionary’s origin for Angela: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1971The year the most babies were named Angela.
- The names of Generation XMost people named Angela alive today were born 1965-1980.
- Names starting with AMost given first.