Angela is a female given name of Latin origin, derived from the Latin word 'angelus', which means 'angel'. It is believed to have been first used as a given name in the Middle Ages, during which time there was great veneration for angels and their role as intermediaries between God and humans.
The name Angela gained popularity in Europe during the Renaissance period, particularly in Italy. It was often used as a symbol of purity and virtue, reflecting the attributes associated with angelic beings. The name also has ties to Christianity, as 'Angela' is sometimes used as a female version of the male given name Angelo, which means 'messenger of God'.
Some notable figures throughout history have borne the name Angela. For example, Angela of Foligno was an Italian mystic and stigmatic who lived in the 13th century, while Angela Burdett-Coutts was a British philanthropist and social reformer born in the 19th century.
Today, Angela continues to be popular as a given name for girls, ranking among the top 1000 names for females in many English-speaking countries. It remains associated with notions of purity, grace, and divine connection, reflecting its etymological roots in angelic imagery.
The name Angela has been popular in the United States for nearly a century, with its first recorded usage in 1918 when there were five births that year. The popularity of the name fluctuated throughout the following decades, with periods of high and low usage.
From 1920 to 1954, the number of Angela births ranged between five and eleven each year, except for a peak of seventeen births in 1958. However, from 1957 onwards, there was a significant increase in popularity, with the highest number of Angela births occurring in 1963 at forty-three.
The name continued to be popular throughout the 1960s and 1970s, reaching its peak in 1970 with eighty-three births. However, it began to decline again in the early 1980s, with only fifty-two births recorded in 1981.
In recent years, Angela has seen a resurgence in popularity, with eleven births in 2003 and eight births each in 2004 and 2005. Overall, there have been 2,135 recorded Angela births in the United States since 1918. This data shows that while Angela may not be the most popular name today, it has a rich history of usage and remains a timeless choice for parents.