Virgil
Virgil was given to 129 boys in 2025, #1,417 among boys’ names; 73,453 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 22,000 Americans named Virgil and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (30% of everyone recorded); the median is 65 years old and half are between 50 and 76.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Virgil by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Virgil mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Virgil is “a male given name from Latin.”
From Middle English Vyrgyle, from Latin Virgilius, from the Roman clan name Vergilius, from Etruscan and of unknown meaning.
/ˈvɝdʒɪl/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Virgil?
#1,417 among boys’ names, 2025
Virgil rose from #2,052 in 2015 to #1,417 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 36.5 to 75.5 per million.
1,869 babies in 1921, the peak
Virgil peaked in 1921, when 1,869 babies were given it (1,830 boys, #98 among boys’ names). The 129 births of 2025 are 7% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 129 | #1,417 | 0.08 |
| 2024 | 114 | #1,550 | 0.07 |
| 2023 | 123 | #1,471 | 0.07 |
| 2022 | 81 | #1,936 | 0.05 |
| 2021 | 101 | #1,657 | 0.06 |
| 2020 | 85 | #1,787 | 0.05 |
| 2019 | 91 | #1,735 | 0.05 |
| 2018 | 73 | #2,013 | 0.04 |
| 2017 | 96 | #1,660 | 0.05 |
| 2016 | 88 | #1,762 | 0.05 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 70 | #2,052 | 0.04 |
| 2014 | 75 | #1,942 | 0.04 |
| 2013 | 68 | #2,017 | 0.04 |
| 2012 | 50 | #2,515 | 0.03 |
| 2011 | 73 | #1,924 | 0.04 |
| 2010 | 80 | #1,829 | 0.04 |
| 2009 | 64 | #2,140 | 0.03 |
| 2008 | 54 | #2,403 | 0.03 |
| 2007 | 73 | #1,948 | 0.04 |
| 2006 | 69 | #1,965 | 0.03 |
| 2005 | 69 | #1,864 | 0.03 |
| 2004 | 75 | #1,711 | 0.04 |
| 2003 | 69 | #1,758 | 0.03 |
| 2002 | 71 | #1,677 | 0.04 |
| 2001 | 75 | #1,595 | 0.04 |
| 2000 | 66 | #1,719 | 0.03 |
| 1999 | 80 | #1,453 | 0.04 |
| 1998 | 102 | #1,212 | 0.05 |
| 1997 | 82 | #1,362 | 0.04 |
| 1996 | 88 | #1,262 | 0.05 |
| 1995 | 96 | #1,182 | 0.05 |
| 1994 | 85 | #1,270 | 0.04 |
| 1993 | 114 | #1,033 | 0.06 |
| 1992 | 112 | #1,033 | 0.06 |
| 1991 | 149 | #857 | 0.07 |
| 1990 | 159 | #803 | 0.08 |
| 1989 | 146 | #821 | 0.07 |
| 1988 | 142 | #796 | 0.07 |
| 1987 | 142 | #776 | 0.08 |
| 1986 | 179 | #671 | 0.10 |
| 1985 | 147 | #730 | 0.08 |
| 1984 | 180 | #642 | 0.10 |
| 1983 | 160 | #678 | 0.09 |
| 1982 | 227 | #570 | 0.13 |
| 1981 | 220 | #577 | 0.12 |
| 1980 | 203 | #617 | 0.11 |
| 1979 | 238 | #557 | 0.14 |
| 1978 | 228 | #552 | 0.14 |
| 1977 | 253 | #524 | 0.15 |
| 1976 | 265 | #488 | 0.17 |
| 1975 | 311 | #452 | 0.20 |
| 1974 | 312 | #451 | 0.20 |
| 1973 | 345 | #422 | 0.22 |
| 1972 | 366 | #414 | 0.23 |
| 1971 | 421 | #392 | 0.24 |
| 1970 | 408 | #397 | 0.22 |
| 1969 | 384 | #406 | 0.21 |
| 1968 | 442 | #371 | 0.25 |
| 1967 | 446 | #353 | 0.26 |
| 1966 | 458 | #350 | 0.26 |
| 1965 | 503 | #338 | 0.27 |
| 1964 | 547 | #335 | 0.27 |
| 1963 | 561 | #332 | 0.28 |
| 1962 | 555 | #334 | 0.27 |
| 1961 | 625 | #314 | 0.29 |
| 1960 | 687 | #296 | 0.32 |
| 1959 | 651 | #304 | 0.30 |
| 1958 | 696 | #290 | 0.33 |
| 1957 | 668 | #286 | 0.31 |
| 1956 | 709 | #277 | 0.34 |
| 1955 | 699 | #268 | 0.34 |
| 1954 | 743 | #261 | 0.36 |
| 1953 | 759 | #249 | 0.38 |
| 1952 | 786 | #237 | 0.40 |
| 1951 | 789 | #242 | 0.42 |
| 1950 | 786 | #234 | 0.44 |
| 1949 | 791 | #228 | 0.45 |
| 1948 | 794 | #230 | 0.45 |
| 1947 | 854 | #219 | 0.47 |
| 1946 | 881 | #198 | 0.54 |
| 1945 | 845 | #183 | 0.63 |
| 1944 | 928 | #177 | 0.68 |
| 1943 | 993 | #175 | 0.70 |
| 1942 | 1,003 | #168 | 0.73 |
| 1941 | 923 | #170 | 0.75 |
| 1940 | 938 | #166 | 0.81 |
| 1939 | 937 | #164 | 0.85 |
| 1938 | 1,069 | #151 | 1.0 |
| 1937 | 969 | #158 | 0.91 |
| 1936 | 1,034 | #149 | 1.0 |
| 1935 | 1,104 | #141 | 1.1 |
| 1934 | 1,128 | #141 | 1.1 |
| 1933 | 1,139 | #138 | 1.1 |
| 1932 | 1,228 | #139 | 1.2 |
| 1931 | 1,384 | #121 | 1.3 |
| 1930 | 1,371 | #128 | 1.2 |
| 1929 | 1,339 | #127 | 1.2 |
| 1928 | 1,404 | #126 | 1.3 |
| 1927 | 1,499 | #121 | 1.3 |
| 1926 | 1,576 | #118 | 1.4 |
| 1925 | 1,503 | #120 | 1.3 |
| 1924 | 1,627 | #111 | 1.4 |
| 1923 | 1,713 | #100 | 1.6 |
| 1922 | 1,790 | #99 | 1.6 |
| 1921 | 1,830 | #98 | 1.7 |
| 1920 | 1,711 | #101 | 1.6 |
| 1919 | 1,570 | #103 | 1.6 |
| 1918 | 1,707 | #99 | 1.7 |
| 1917 | 1,523 | #103 | 1.6 |
| 1916 | 1,496 | #104 | 1.7 |
| 1915 | 1,376 | #108 | 1.6 |
| 1914 | 1,048 | #107 | 1.6 |
| 1913 | 819 | #107 | 1.6 |
| 1912 | 684 | #111 | 1.6 |
| 1911 | 355 | #107 | 1.6 |
| 1910 | 280 | #111 | 1.4 |
| 1909 | 250 | #110 | 1.5 |
| 1908 | 258 | #100 | 1.7 |
| 1907 | 276 | #93 | 1.9 |
| 1906 | 207 | #103 | 1.6 |
| 1905 | 226 | #97 | 1.7 |
| 1904 | 211 | #100 | 1.6 |
| 1903 | 173 | #113 | 1.5 |
| 1902 | 163 | #119 | 1.3 |
| 1901 | 158 | #110 | 1.5 |
| 1900 | 212 | #111 | 1.4 |
| 1899 | 154 | #111 | 1.4 |
| 1898 | 155 | #120 | 1.3 |
| 1897 | 159 | #110 | 1.4 |
| 1896 | 138 | #126 | 1.2 |
| 1895 | 146 | #116 | 1.2 |
| 1894 | 125 | #130 | 1.1 |
| 1893 | 119 | #127 | 1.1 |
| 1892 | 130 | #129 | 1.1 |
| 1891 | 123 | #114 | 1.2 |
| 1890 | 100 | #142 | 0.90 |
| 1889 | 93 | #154 | 0.84 |
| 1888 | 112 | #137 | 0.93 |
| 1887 | 77 | #165 | 0.76 |
| 1886 | 79 | #175 | 0.71 |
| 1885 | 82 | #165 | 0.76 |
| 1884 | 88 | #160 | 0.77 |
| 1883 | 70 | #176 | 0.67 |
| 1882 | 80 | #171 | 0.70 |
| 1881 | 65 | #182 | 0.65 |
| 1880 | 81 | #164 | 0.73 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Virgil a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 73,453 Americans recorded as Virgil, 2% are girls and 98% boys. In 2025 it went to 129 boys; SSA lists no girls with it that year (fewer than 5, or none).
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Virgil: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Virgil, and how old are they?
22,000 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 30% of the 73,453 Americans ever recorded as Virgil. The median Virgil alive today is 65 years old; half are between 50 and 76.
The 2020 Census counted 24,101 people named Virgil (225 women and girls, 23,876 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 26,336 born in the U.S. The Census count is 8% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 3,520 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 8,970 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 4,950 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 2,230 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 1,130 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 1,190 |
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 Virgil born?
The states with the most babies named Virgil are Ohio, Texas and Illinois, with 20% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 4,322 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| Texas | 4,101 | #1,406 | 1.0× |
| Illinois | 3,940 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| Missouri | 3,912 | not ranked | 2.1× |
| Kentucky | 3,712 | not ranked | 2.3× |
| Oklahoma | 2,838 | not ranked | 2.2× |
| Indiana | 2,772 | #1,068 | 1.5× |
| California | 2,638 | #1,357 | 0.7× |
| Iowa | 2,602 | not ranked | 2.0× |
| Kansas | 2,324 | not ranked | 2.4× |
Where Virgil is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Virgil is most over-represented in Kansas: since 1910 it was given 2.4 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 boys’ 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 Virgil 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 4 names spelled alike, given to 76,895 babies since 1880, Virgil is the most given (96% of them). In 2025 it was given to 129 of their 148 babies (87%), 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 Virgil
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 Virgil and names like it
- Compare Virgil and VergilBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sVirgil peaked in 1921.
- Ohio’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Virgil since 1910.
- Latin namesWiktionary’s origin for Virgil: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1921The year the most babies were named Virgil.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Virgil alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with VMost given first.