Irish–British–American actress Angela Lansbury, 1925–2022
Names derived from the Greek word angelos (angel; messenger of God) historically have been much more common outside of the Anglophone world. Only in the 20th century did names like Angela, Angelica, and Angelina start becoming popular. On the male side, the name Angel (Ahn-hell) seems to be almost exclusively used on boys from Hispanic families, and Angelo is most frequently used on boys of Italian descent.
Angela is used in English, Italian, German, Dutch, Romanian, Greek, Slovenian, Slovakian, the Scandinavian languages, Estonian, Finnish, Luxembourgish, Flemish, Macedonian, and modern Russian. In all of those languages except English and Italian, it’s pronounced with a hard G. The variant form Angéla is Hungarian; Angèla is Occitan and Gascon; Ángela is Spanish; Àngela is Catalan; and Ângela is Portuguese.
St. Angela Merici of Italy, 1474–1540
Angela was #679 in the U.S. in 1880, the year popularity records began, and gradually rose to the Top 100. It entered that upper echelon in 1956, at #93, and continued climbing upwards very quickly. By 1963, it was already #30, and it was in the Top 10 from 1965–79, holding its highest rank of #5 from 1974–76. The name began a slow descent in popularity in 1980, interrupted a few times by a rise back upwards. In 2021, it was #234.
Angela is also popular in Mexico (#46), Spain (#60), and Italy (#87).
Self-portrait of Swiss artist Angelica Kaufman, 1741–1807
Other forms of the name include:
1. Angelica is Italian, Romanian, Gascon, Provençal, Scandinavian, Romansh, Flemish, Dutch, and German. The variant Angélica is Spanish and Portuguese, and Angèlica is Sicilian.
2. Angélique is French. Without an accent mark, this is also a Dutch name.
3. Anzhelika is the traditional Russian and Ukrainian form.
4. Anzhela is Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, and Belarusian.
5. Angeliki is Greek.
6. Anxhela is Albanian. The sound XH is pronounced like the J in Jupiter.
7. Angyalka is Hungarian. The sound GY is pronounced kind of like the soft, barely perceptible DY sound in due, duel, and during.
8. Ànghela is Sardinian.
9. Anhelina is Ukrainian and Belarusian.
10. Angelina is English, Italian, Greek, Armenian, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Serbian, Bulgarian, Latvian, Croatian, Scandinavian, Provençal, Slovenian, and Russian.
French midwife Angélique du Coudray, ca. 1712–1794
11. Anzhelina is Russian and Ukrainian.
12. Anđela is Serbian and Croatian. Nicknames include Anđa and Anđelka. The variant Anděla is Czech.
13. Aniela is Polish and Kashubian.
14. Angeline is French.
15. Angiola is an Italian variant.
16. Anželika is Latvian and Lithuanian.
17. Andżelika is a Polish variant.
18. Anchela is Aragonese.
19. ʻĀnela is Hawaiian.
20. Ainelag is a rare, modern Manx form.
Polish translator Aniela Zagórska, 1881–1943
21. Andżela is Kashubian.
22. Anelė is Lithuanian.
23. Aela is a modern Breton form.
24. Angele is Scandinavian.
25. Anghjula is Corsican.
26. Àngila is Sicilian.
27. Àngiula is also Sicilian.
28. Ansina is Chuukese, an Austronesian language spoken on the Chuuk islands of the Caroline Islands of Micronesia.
29. Ánxela is Gascon.
30. Ànzela is Sardinian. The variant Anžela is Estonian and Latvian.
American suffragist and mathematician Angeline Stickney (Chloe Angeline Stickney Hall), 1830–92
31. Añjela is a rare Breton form.
32. Aungèle is Norman.
33. Ancèlica is Sicilian.
34. Anchelica is Aragonese.
35. Angilica is Sicilian.
36. Anxélica is Gascon.
37. Anzhalika is Belarusian.
38. Ancilina is Sicilian.
39. Anđelina is Serbian and Croatian.
40. Aungélina is Norman.
American suffragist and abolitionist Angelina Grimké, 1805–79
41. Anghjulina is Corsican.
42. Angilín is Faroese.
43. Angilina is Sicilian.
44. Anxhelina is Albanian.
45. Anzelina is Sardinian.
46. Anxelina is a rare Gascon form.
Italian doctor, parasitologist, hygienist, and philanthropist Angelo Celli (1857–1914)
Male forms of the name include:
1. Ángel is Spanish, and quite popular in that language. The variant Àngel is Catalan, and Angèl is Lengadocian (an Occitan dialect). Without accent marks, this name is sometimes used in Bulgarian, Slovenian, and Macedonian.
2. Angelo is Italian. The variant Ângelo is Portuguese; Anĝelo is Esperanto; and Ángelo is Spanish.
3. Anghel is Romanian.
4. Angiolo is Italian.
5. Ànghelu is Sardinian.
6. Anđelko is Serbian and Croatian.
7. Anđelo is Croatian.
8. Aingeru is Basque.
9. Anxo is Galician.
10. Angelos is Greek.
Romanian historian, writer, and literary critic Anghel Demetriescu, 1847–1903
11. Ankelo is Albanian.
12. Angeoul is Gascon.
13. Angé is also Gascon.
14. Anxhelo is Albanian.
15. Angyal is Hungarian.
16. Ánxel is Asturian.
17. Ánxelu is also Asturian.
18. Àncilu is Sicilian.
19. Angelu is also Sicilian.
20. Àngilu is another Sicilian form.
Bosnian Franciscan friar Anđeo Zvizdović, who negotiated for religious freedom after the Ottoman conquest and occupation of Bosnia (ca. 1420–98)
21. Anđeo is a rare Bosnian and Croatian form.
22. Angiulu is Sicilian.
23. Anzolo is Venetian.
24. Ael is a modern Breton form.
25. Aggelos is modern Greek.
26. Agnul is Friulian.
27. Angelico is Italian and Filipino.
28. Ancilinu is Sicilian.
29. Ánchel is Aragonese.
30. Ancèlicu is Sicilian.
Italian Augustine monk, bibliophile, and scholar Angelico (né Ludovico) Aprosio, 1607–81
31. Ancilinu is Sicilian.
32. Anděl is Czech. The rare, variant form Anđel is Serbian and Croatian.
33. Angelas is Lithuanian.
34. Angèlicu is Sicilian.
35. Angelu is also Sicilian.
36. Angelusz is Hungarian.
37. Anġlu is Maltese.
38. Anzelinu is Sardinian.
39. Ànzelu is also Sardinian.
40. Anxelo is a rare Gascon form.
Unisex forms:
1. Angel is English, though predominantly feminine in that language.
2. Ange is French.
Onomastics Outside the Box 