The first name Angela
A girl’s name from Greek meaning “messenger”, “angel”.
Pronounced /ˈænd͡ʒələ/ 3 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Greek origin
Angela means “messenger”, “angel” in Greek.
Feminine form of Church Latin Angelus, from Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos, “messenger, angel”).
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 26 girls were named Angela, making it the 1,229th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2008, with 98 births (#433).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Angela with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Angela at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 765 girls born in the United States were named Angela, the 408th most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1971, when 25,901 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Angela in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Angela in Estonian, German, Italian and Swedish too.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Angela
138 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Angela MerkelChancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021 (born 1954)
- Angela DavisAmerican political activist, scholar, and author (born 1944)
- Angela LansburyBritish actress (1925–2022)
- Angela BassettAmerican actress (born 1958)
- Angela CarterEnglish novelist (1940–1992)
- Angela WhiteAustralian pornographic actress, pornographic director, and model (born 1985)
- Angela RaynerBritish politician (born 1980)
- Angela MericiFoundress of the Ursulines, 1474–1540
- Angela GossowGerman metal vocalist, born 1974
- Angela SarafyanArmenian-American actress, born 1983
- Ángela AguilarAmerican-Mexican singer (born 2003)
- Angela MortimerBritish tennis player (1932–2025)
More Greek girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Angela mean?
- Angela means “messenger”, “angel” in Greek.
- What is the origin of the name Angela?
- Feminine form of Church Latin Angelus, from Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos, “messenger, angel”).
- How popular is the name Angela?
- In 2025, 26 girls born in England and Wales were named Angela, ranking 1,229th. Its peak was 2008, with 98 births.
- What are nicknames for Angela?
- Common nicknames for Angela include Angie, Ange, Angelina.
- Is Angela a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 675,392 US babies named Angela since 1880 were girls.
- When was Angela most popular?
- 1971 in the United States, when 25,901 babies were named Angela, its highest rank at 6th.
- How do you pronounce Angela?
- Angela is /ˈænd͡ʒələ/, 3 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Angela?
- Angel.