How Many People Are Named Virgil?
An estimated 25,363 people in the United States have the first name Virgil. It is predominantly male (98.0%). The average bearer is 64 years old, and Virgil peaked in popularity in 1921 with 1,869 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Virgil as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Virgil paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Virgil is overwhelmingly male, 1,444 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Virgil has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
25,363
About 1 in 13,514 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
98.0% confidence
Average Age
64
years old
Peak Year
1921
1,869 births
Total Registered
73,325
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Virgil
Virgil is predominantly male (98.0%), though 1,444 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Virgil as a male name
Ranked #1,542 in 2024
114 male births in 2024
Peak: 1921 (1,830 births)
Virgil as a female name
Ranked #12,451 in 1985
5 female births in 1985
Peak: 1920 (57 births)
Virgil: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Virgil span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 16,335 babies were registered. Virgil has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Virgil by Decade
How has Virgil tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 832 | 827 | 5 | |
| 1890s | 1,439 | 1,349 | 90 | |
| 1900s | 2,263 | 2,134 | 129 | |
| 1910s | 11,169 | 10,858 | 311 | |
| 1920s | 16,335 | 15,992 | 343 | |
| 1930s | 11,524 | 11,363 | 161 | |
| 1940s | 9,104 | 8,950 | 154 | |
| 1950s | 7,409 | 7,287 | 122 | |
| 1960s | 5,278 | 5,208 | 70 | |
| 1970s | 3,190 | 3,147 | 43 | |
| 1980s | 1,762 | 1,746 | 16 | |
| 1990s | 1,067 | 1,067 | 0 | |
| 2000s | 685 | 685 | 0 | |
| 2010s | 764 | 764 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 504 | 504 | 0 | |
Virgil by State
Birth registrations for Virgil span all 47 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Ohio, Texas, Illinois. The lowest are in Hawaii, Delaware, Alaska. On average, about 1,346 Virgils were registered per state.
Virgil + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Virgil as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Virgil
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
Virgil: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Virgil?
We estimate approximately 25,363 people named Virgil are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 13,514 Americans share this first name.
Is Virgil a common name?
Virgil is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.7% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 73,325 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Virgil most popular?
Virgil reached peak popularity in 1921, when 1,869 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Virgil is approximately 64 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Virgil a male name?
Virgil is predominantly male. 98.0% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Virgil Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Virgil Smith, Virgil Johnson, Virgil Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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