Girl · #277 in 2026

Angela

Name: Popularity of the name Angela in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Angela, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Angela is a female given name. It is derived from the Greek word ángelos (ἄγγελος), meaning angel from Greek belief systems. In the United States, the name "Angela" was at its most popular between 1965 and 1979, when it was ranked among the top 10 names for girls.

English
Italian
German
Dutch

Current Rank

#277

Peak Rank

#5 (1971)

Total Babies

675K

5-Yr Trend

-6%

1880

First Year

2026

Last Year

1971

Peak Year

Peak Rank

675K

Total Count

147

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Angela

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

English
Italian
German
Dutch
Romanian
Slovene
Slovak
Russian
Macedonian
Greek
Late Roman
Spanish
Catalan
Portuguese
Hungarian

The Story of Angela

The earliest SSA record of Angela as a baby girl name dates back to 1880, when 7 babies received it. 1971 was its biggest year on record, with 25,900 newborns named Angela — #6 in the national rankings. The 1970s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 33% of all recorded Angelas. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #277 among baby girl names with 1,148 births, gradually falling (-6%). In total, more than 675K Angelas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Variants & Related Forms of Angela

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Angela. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Angelia
Angelina
Angie
Angiola
Anzhela
Lina

Notable people named Angela

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

Angela (singer) (born 1991), Ukrainian singer and model
Angela of Foligno (1248–1309), Franciscan, Catholic, saint
Angela Aames (1956–1988), American B-movie actress
Angelica Bäumer (1932–2025), Austrian art critic and art historian
Ángela Acuña Braun (1888–1983), Costa Rican lawyer, writer and feminist
Angela Adamoli (born 1972), former Italian basketball player
Angela Adams (born 1965), American rug designer
Angela Addison (born 1999), English association football player

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Names that sound like Angela

Phonetically similar names — useful when Angela is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Angela

What does the name Angela mean?

What is the origin of the name Angela?

Angela has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English, Italian, German, Dutch, Romanian, Slovene, Slovak, Russian, Macedonian, Greek, Late Roman, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Hungarian.

How popular is Angela in 2026?

In 2026, Angela ranks #277 among girls' names in the U.S., with 1,148 babies given the name that year.

When was Angela most popular?

Angela reached its peak popularity in 1971, ranking #5 that year with 25,900 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Angela most popular?

Angela has historically been most popular in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Angela.

Is Angela a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Angela is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Angela?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Angela include Minnie, Donna, Joan. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Angela?

Common variants and related forms of Angela include Angelia, Angelina, Angie, Angiola, Anzhela, Lina. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Angela

Angela is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 675K births in the dataset. Angela's peak popularity came in 1971 when it ranked #5. Use the chart and map above to compare Angela's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.