Virginia
Virginia is a Germanic and Romance feminine given name thought to be derived from the Ancient Roman family name Verginius or Virginius. It means "maiden" or "virgin" and may also be used for this reason, without connection to family names, as in the case of its usage in the case of Queen Elizabeth I, who was also called "the Virgin Queen" due to her lack of marriage.
- English
- Italian
- Spanish
- Portuguese
Meaning & Origin of Virginia
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Virginia is a Germanic and Romance feminine given name thought to be derived from the Ancient Roman family name Verginius or Virginius. It means "maiden" or "virgin" and may also be used for this reason, without connection to family names, as in the case of its usage in the case of Queen Elizabeth I, who was also called "the Virgin Queen" due to her lack of marriage.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- Italian
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- Romanian
- Greek
- Ancient Roman
The Story of Virginia
The earliest SSA record of Virginia as a baby girl name dates back to 1880, when 213 babies received it. 1922 was its biggest year on record, with 19,144 newborns named Virginia — #7 in the national rankings. About 26% of every Virginia on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Virginia ranks #503 for baby girls with 604 births, holding steady (+2%). All told, over 654K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Virginia
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Virginia. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Virginia
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Virginia , originally Verginia, a Roman woman said to have been killed by her father to protect her virtue during the dictatorship of the Decemviri
- Virginia Apgar , American obstetrical anesthesiologist, and inventor of the Apgar score
- Virginia Barcones (born 1976), Spanish politician
- Virginia Bates (born 1943), British fashion doyenne and as English actress and as Virginia Wetherell , British actress
- Virginia Bourbon del Monte , Italian aristocrat
- Virginia Centurione Bracelli , Roman Catholic saint
- Virginia Coffey , American civil rights activist
- Virginia Frazer Boyle , American poet and writer
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Virginia
Phonetically similar names — useful when Virginia 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 Virginia
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About the name Virginia
Virginia is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 654K births in the dataset. Virginia's peak popularity came in 1922 when it ranked #6. Use the chart and map above to compare Virginia's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1922 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "V" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.