Meaning:
Its source is angelos, a Greek name meaning "Messenger from God."
Languages:
This girl's name is used in English, Greek, Italian, Spanish and Russian.
Nicknames: Angel, Angie and Angy
Compound Forms: Rosangela
Alternative Spellings: Angella
Variant Forms: Angele, Angelena, Angeles, Angelia, Angelica, Angelika, Angelina, Angeline, Angelita, Angila, Angla, Anglea, Tangela, Angelle and Anjewela
Popularity:
The name Angela ranked 80th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 29th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.
This name makes a strong showing in state popularity data of the 1970s, but makes few (if any) appearances on lists compiled after that period.
Narrative:
Given its associations with divine Biblical messengers, one would suppose that Angela has been in use since ancient times.
However, name commentators have determined that it only came into extensive use in the 18th century. Since then it has gained steadily in popularity, peaking in the United States during the 1970s, but still making appearances on U.S. state popularity lists well into the 1990s.
