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Today's name: Angel (Angela, Angelina, etc. & Angelo, Angelus, etc.)
Pronunciation: AYN-jel, AHN-hail, AHN-hel
Potential nicknames: Ang, Angie, Annie, Anne, Ana
Origin: Greek, meaning "messenger." Transfered in the New Testament and Church Latin to mean "messenger of God" with the rise of Christianity. Angelos was the first version of Angel, and Angela became widely used in the 18th century.
Popularity: Angel and its variants seem to be perpetually popular. In 2011 Angel ranked #52 for boys, while Angelo was at #298. For girls, Angela was #189 in 2011, while Angel was #216, Angelica was #373, Angelina #104 and Angeline #753. In 2010 there were 1,587 baby girls named Angel (ranking at #194 on the U.S. top 1000), 8,716 baby boys named Angel (ranking at #42 on the top 1000), 1,898 baby girls named Angela (ranking at #160), 1,143 baby boys named Angelo (ranking at #290), 3,110 baby girls named Angelina (ranking at #93), and even 32 baby girls named Angelic. There are a wealth of variants, including Angelia, Angeliese, Angelica, and all the variants spelled with a J instead of a G. The name Angel is certainly on the rise for boys in Spanish-speaking countries.
Fun fact: (1) Angel Clare, a male character in Thomas Hardy's novel "Tess of the D'Ubervilles." (2) Angel was the title of a TV series similar to/a spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The main characters full name was Angelus. (3) Actresses Angelina Jolie, Angela Bassett, Angela Dickinson, Angela Lansbury and Angie Harmon. (4) Angel is not only a word name, but can be used to describe someone. The phrase "A perfect angel." (5) St. Angela Merici. (6) The highest ranking angels are called seraphims. (See Seraphina.)
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The name Angel is all Buffy to me. I picture Angela on a fortysomething woman and Angelo on a handsome Italian.
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