Angela is a feminine given name of Latin origin. Its meaning and history are deeply rooted in Christian tradition.
The name Angela comes from the Latin word "angelus," which means "angel." It was first used as a given name in the 15th century, but it gained popularity during the Renaissance period when many people adopted names with religious connotations.
In the Middle Ages, Angela da Foligno was an Italian mystic who had visions of angels. She became known as Santa Angela and is now considered a saint by the Catholic Church. This may have contributed to the name's adoption as a given name around this time.
Angela has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. Angela Burdett-Coutts was a philanthropist in 19th-century England, while Angela Davis is an American political activist known for her work against racial injustice and prison reform.
Today, Angela remains a popular choice for parents looking for a name with spiritual significance or simply one that sounds elegant and distinctive. Its variations include Angie, Angelina, and Angela-Marie, among others. Despite its origins, Angela has transcended religious boundaries and is now used worldwide regardless of cultural or religious background.
The name Angela has seen a varied history of popularity over the years in the United States, as indicated by the birth statistics provided.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Angela was not one of the most common names given to newborn girls. Between 1880 and 1924, there were fewer than 70 births per year on average. However, starting in the mid-1920s, Angela began to gain traction, with birth numbers rising steadily over the next few decades.
By the 1950s, Angela had become quite popular, with over 3,000 births each year from 1953 onwards. This trend continued into the 1960s and 1970s, reaching its peak in 1974 when there were 22,803 newborn girls named Angela.
However, after this high point, the popularity of Angela began to decline. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the number of newborn girls named Angela decreased significantly, reaching its lowest point in recent years in 2020 with only 1,189 births.
Despite this recent decline, Angela remains a name with historical significance and enduring popularity. Over the entire period from 1880 to 2023, there were a total of 671,322 newborn girls named Angela in the United States alone. This indicates that while Angela may not be as popular now as it once was, it is still a beloved and well-established name choice for parents throughout American history.
In conclusion, while Angela's popularity has waxed and waned over time, its overall impact on American naming trends is undeniable. Parents have consistently chosen this strong and distinctive name for their daughters, resulting in nearly seven hundred thousand births since 1880.