Virgil

Latin
"staff bearer"

Virgil Origin and Meaning

The name Virgil is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "staff bearer".

The name of the greatest Roman poet and an early Irish saint who believed the earth was round, Virgil is heard most notably today as the name of designer Virgil Abloh of Off-White.

The first century poet known as Virgil, author of the influential epic Aeneid, was christened Publius Vergilius Maro. Centuries later, Virgil Tibbs was the noble police detective portrayed by Sidney Poitier in two films: In the Heat of the Night and They Call Me Mr. Tibbs. Currently, Virgil Minelli is a character on The Mentalist.

Virgil was the name of one of Wyatt Earp's brothers, a Tombstone, Arizona marshall. Virgil Thomson was a noted composer and musicologist, cartoonist Virgil Franklin Partch signed his work VIP, and astronaut Gus Grissom was born Virgil.

Virgil's greatest popularity took place in the early decades of the twentieth century: It was a Top 100 name for five nonconsecutive years.

# 867 in the US

Virgil Rank in US Top 1000

# 688 on Nameberry

Virgil Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Virgil Popularity

Famous People Named Virgil

  • Virgil (born Publius Vergilius Maro)
    Roman epic poet
  • Virgil Walter Earp
    U.S. Marshal; brother of Wyatt and Morgan Earp
  • Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom
    American astronaut
  • Virgil Hamlin Goode
    U.S. Congressman from Virginia
  • Virgil Charles Frye
    American actor; father of actress Soleil Moon Frye
  • Virgil Leo Green
    American football player
  • Virgil Thomson
    American composer
  • Virgil Oliver "Fire" Trucks
    American baseball player
  • Virgil Keel Fox
    American organist
  • Virgil Walter Ross
    American animator and cartoonist
  • Virgil Riley Runnels Jr.
    birth name of Dusty Rhodes, American pro wrestler
  • Virgil
    ring name of Michael Jones), American pro wrestler
  • Virgil van Dijk
    Dutch professional footballer

Virgil in Pop Culture

  • Virgil Tibbs
    main character in film and TV series "In the Heat of the Night"
  • Virgil
    character on TV's "Homeland"
  • Virgil Fox
    character in TV movie "Minutemen"
  • Virgil Caine
    main character in the song ''The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down'' by The Band
  • Virgil Grissom Tracy
    character in animated series "Thunderbirds"
  • Virgil
    AI character on TV's "Crash Zone"
  • Virgil Malloy
    character in film “Ocean’s Eleven”
  • Virgil
    orangutan character in film "Battle for the Planet of the Apes"
  • Virgil
    character on TV's "Xena: Warrior Princess"
  • Virgil Sollozzo
    character in book/film "The Godfather"
  • Virgil
    character in film "True Romance"
  • Virgil Hawkins aka Static Shock
    character in DC Comics
  • Virgil
    character in Thomas Sanders' YouTube series "Sanders Sides", representing his anxiety