Name of the Week

Rare, Roman and a little bit clunky.
If your looking for a recognisably rarity, Virgil may be for you.

 

Origin:

Virgil is the standard form of the name of the great Roman poet Publius Vergilius Maro (70 BC - 19 BC).  The name Vergilius, which was not uncommon among the Latin population, is of disputed origin and derivation; it may be Latin, but could also be Etruscan (as so many Romans names were). The standard history is that, although Vergilius was the correct spelling, it was later altered to Virgilius in connection with both the Latin virga "virgin" (thanks to Virgil's modesty) and virga "green twig, rod, wand" (thanks to his being regarded as a seer and, later, magician). Both virgo and virga are related terms, as virgo is thought to be a derivative of virga.  Some historians have pointed out that, although "incorrect", the spelling variant of Virgilius was actually used during Virgil's lifetime, while others point out that 'e' and 'i' were perhaps not uniform in early Latin, such as the change from Etruscan Menerva to Minerva. Though it is true that medieval writers deliberately connected Vergilius to virgo and virga, there is nothing to say this connection didn't already exist from the beginning. Virgo and Virga are traditionally both derived from the Indo-European *werg "to work, to do" (hense the Greek ergon "work") or weis "to turn, sprout" (from which the Latin vireo "green").  Virgil could either been an unknown name of Etruscan or Gaulish origin — those historians who argue this do not put forward any possible alternate etymology — or it could be that Virgil is related to virga and virgo via an earlier Indo-European route.

Usage:

Virgil was to Rome, what Homer was to Greece and Shakespeare to Britain. He was a highly notable and influential poet during his lifetime, and even more so after his death. His works became the corner-stone of Roman education, and his most famous work — The Aeneid — has had a huge impact on Classical and Western Literature, considered one of the most important poems in the history of literature. To the Romans, a poet was also a vates - a diviner, forseer or propher - and Virgil was the most important of them all. From the 2nd century, there are numerous examples of Emperors and other notable Roman figures using the Virgilian Lots (Sortes Vergilianae), a process which involved opening the Aeneid at random and taking the first verse you see as a prophesy.  Hadrian drew Aeneid 6, 808 and took it to mean he would one day become Emperor, as did Alexander Severus who drew Aeneid 6, 851. This practice continued through the Middle Ages, by which point Virgil's work were considered to be magical and himself a great sage and magician, hense the connection of his name to virga "green shoot, wand."  There were two early saints who are known as "St Virgil." The first was Bishop of Arles in the 7th century; the second was an 8th century Irish abbott who became Bishop of Salzburg. His birth name was the Irish Fearghal "man of valour" which was Latinised as Virgilius. Up until the 19th century, Virgil continued to be used to render the name Fearghal into English.  Virgil's use in Britain dates from at least the 15th century, though it has always been rather rare. It has been far more common in America, even ranking in their top 100 in 1918, 1921 and 1922, and didn't drop out of their top 200 until 1947. The births in England and Wales, per decade, were as follows: 1840s: 10 births 1850s: 16 births 1860s: 13 births 1870s: 11 births 1880s: 21 births 1890s: 13 births 1900s: 9 births 1910s: 14 births 1920s: 4 births 1930s: 2 births 1940s: 7 births 1950s: 6 births 1960s: 42 births 1970s: 39 births 1980s: 16 births 1990s: 6 births For many Brits, Virgil will be forever stamped in our minds as the name of Virgil Tracy, the pilot of Thunderbird 2 in the popular 1960s TV marionation series Thunderbirds which ran from 1965-1966. All five of the "Tracy sons" (Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon and Alan) were named after the Mercury Seven astronauts. Virgil Tracy, therefore, was named after astronaut Virgil "Gus" Grissom.  As we can see from the birth count, Virgil saw a spike in the 1960s, particularly between 1966-1968, thanks to the popularity of the show. (It had an even greater effect on the name Scott). The many re-runs helped maintain the name's use through to the 1980s.  Since 1996, Virgil has only ranked once in the official data for England and Wales (3 births or more). In 2012 it ranked #4805 with 3 births.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Publius Vergilius Maro "Virgil" (70 BC - 19 BC), influential and notable Roman poet. * St Virgil (Virgilius) of Arles (d.610), Bishop of Arles. * St Virgil (Virgilius) of Salzburg (d.784, Irish abbott who became Bishop of Salzburg. * Virgil the Grammarian (Virgilius Maro Grammaticus), a 7th century medieval writer. * Polydore Vergil (1470–1555), an Italian-born scholar and historian, known as the "Father of English History." * Virgil Thomson (1896–1989), an American composer. * Virgil "Gus" Grissom (1926–1967), an American astronaut. * Virgil Aldrich (1903–1998), an American philosopher. Contemporary: * Virgil Moorefield (b. 1956), an American drummer and composer. * Virgil Donati (b. 1958), an Australian drummer. * Virgil Hill (b.1964), a Hall of Fame American boxer.  Literature and Other Media: * Vergil, the guide in Dante's Inferno. * Virgil Tracy, the pilot of Thunderbird 2 in the TV series Thunderbirds, named after Virgil "Gus" Grissom. * Virgil, a genius orangutan character from Battle for the Planet of the Apes. * Virgil, a fictional character from TV series Xena: Warrior Princess. * Virgil Hawkins, teenage alter ego of the superhero Static Shock.

Variants:

Vergil; Vergilius, Virgilius (Roman), Virgilio (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese), Virgile (French)

Pronunciation:

VER-jəl [key]

Possible diminutives:

Vil, Rev, Gus

Sibling Names:

Junia     Sybil     Hester     Petra     Nola     Avis       Otto     Tobin     Prosper     Jules     August     Caspar

Name Lists:

Funky Clunky   Saintly & Stylish   Resonant Roman   Names from Tennyson

 

If you like Virgil you may also like:   Clive, Vernon, Giles, Sylvester, Emrys, Fergas, Chester, Doron, Cyrus, Edgar

 

Thanks to Winter for requesting this post.