# Ignatius (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/ignatius/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Latin |
| Meaning | “fire”, “fiery one”, “indigene”, “to give birth”, “produce”, “to come into being” |
| Pronunciation | /ɪɡˈneɪ.ʃəs/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | Iggy |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 4,075 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 4,075 / 0 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 136, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Latin Ignātius, variant of gens name Egnātius, altered to resemble ignis (“fire”), establishing a folk etymology meaning akin to “Fiery One”. Of uncertain origin, perhaps originally borrowed from Etruscan. It might be related to Ancient Greek ἴγνης (ígnēs, “indigene”), ἴγνητος (ígnētos), from *ἔν-γνη-τες (*én-gnē-tes), formed from έν (én) + Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to give birth, produce”), also seen in γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “to come into being”).

## What it means

Ignatius is grouped under born and fire.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 52 | 2,416 |
| 2012 | 38 | 3,021 |
| 2013 | 48 | 2,546 |
| 2014 | 41 | 2,862 |
| 2015 | 60 | 2,242 |
| 2016 | 62 | 2,190 |
| 2017 | 70 | 2,025 |
| 2018 | 78 | 1,905 |
| 2019 | 79 | 1,892 |
| 2020 | 80 | 1,855 |
| 2021 | 84 | 1,844 |
| 2022 | 85 | 1,864 |
| 2023 | 89 | 1,807 |
| 2024 | 95 | 1,742 |
| 2025 | 100 | 1,664 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3 | 4,647 |
| 2012 | 4 | 3,987 |
| 2013 | 4 | 3,822 |
| 2014 | 5 | 3,362 |
| 2015 | 5 | 3,373 |
| 2016 | 10 | 2,175 |
| 2017 | 9 | 2,324 |
| 2018 | 6 | 3,011 |
| 2019 | 7 | 2,728 |
| 2020 | 12 | 1,825 |
| 2021 | 8 | 2,493 |
| 2022 | 9 | 2,320 |
| 2023 | 11 | 2,007 |
| 2024 | 11 | 2,088 |
| 2025 | 7 | 2,952 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: إِغْنَاطِيُوس
- Armenian: Իգնատիոս
- Bulgarian: Игнатий
- Catalan: Ignasi
- Chinese: 依納爵 /依纳爵
- Czech: Ignác
- Dutch: Ignatius
- Esperanto: Ignaco
- Finnish: Ignatios, Ignatius
- French: Ignace
- Georgian: ეგნატე
- German: Ignaz, Ignatz
- Greek: Ιγνάτιος
- Hungarian: Ignác
- Irish: Iognáid
- Italian: Ignazio
- Latin: Ignatius
- Latvian: Ignats
- Lithuanian: Ignacas
- Polish: Ignacy

## People named Ignatius

- Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, Catholic Cardinal
- Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei, Catholic cardinal (1901–2000)
- Ignatius Aphrem II, 123rd Syriac Orthodox Patriarch
- Ignatius Loyola Donnelly, American politician (1831-1901)
- Ignatius Maloyan, Armenian Catholic archbishop, martyr and saint
- Ignatius Gabriel I Tappouni, Catholic cardinal (1879–1968)
- Ignatius Ganago, Cameroonian association football player
- Ignatius Afram I Barsoum, 120th Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch (1887–1957)
- Ignatius Persico, Catholic cardinal (1823–1895)
- Edmund Ignatius Rice, founder of the Congregation of Christian Brothers
- Ignatius Bedros XVI Batanian, Armenian Eastern patriarch (1899–1979)
- Ignatius Sancho, British composer, writer and grocer

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.