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Virginia

Origin Latin
Meaning"virginal, pure"
GenderBoy & girl
US rank · girls#526

2025 SSA

US rank · boysUnranked

Below 5 births

About Virginia

A literary name and a place name with a grand yet familiar feel, Virginia has been in the US Top 1000 since records began in the late 19th century. Also familiar in Spain, Brazil and Italy, recent years have seen it rank around the #500 mark in the States.

While the name might have come from a Roman family name, it has long been associated with the Latin virgo meaning "maid, virgin", and this has generally become its accepted meaning. As such, the colony/state of Virginia was given its name by Sir Walter Raleigh in honor of Elizabeth I, known as the Virgin Queen, and the first child to be born of English parents in the New World was christened Virginia Dare.

In 1916, Virginia made the US Top 10 for the first time, where it remained for the next decade. Its peak was in 1921, when it was the 6th most popular name, given to 19000 babies. Ranking alongside the likes of Helen, Ruth, Anna, and Margaret, it makes a distinctive, yet timeless choice.

She does have a couple of possible downsides — notably those teasable virgin associations — but the fact she has always been in the charts and is recognized as a place name helps. The other is that nicknames Gina. Ginny, Ginger, and Virgie aren't for everyone, but you do have Vivi, Gia, Vinnie, Gigi, and Nia too.

Virginia has such distinguished namesakes as writer Virginia Woolf, has been the subject of songs by groups ranging from The Rolling Stones to the Foo Fighters, and has appeared as a character in a number of books, movies, and TV shows—currently co-starring on Masters of Sex. Ginger Rogers was born Virginia.

Pronounced as vuhr-JIN-yuh or vuhr-JIN-ee-uh in English, it would be veer-JEE-nya in Italian, and beer-KHEE-nya in Spanish.

Virginia is also given to boys.

Pronounced ver-JIN-yuh.

As of October 2026, Virginia ranked #526 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #6 in 1921, Nameberry popularity #799.

World rankings

Similar names

These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Virginia.

Virginia on lists

Famous Virginias

  • Virginia "Dawson" BiondiGirl

    King Philip Middle School student

  • Virginia Bourbon del MonteGirl

    daughter of the Prince di San Faustino

  • Saint Virginia Centurione BracelliGirl

    Italian noblewoman

  • (Adeline) Virginia WoolfGirl

    English novelist

  • Virginia G. MadsenGirl

    American actress

  • (Eliza) Virginia CapersGirl

    American actress

  • Virginia WilliamsGirl

    American actress

  • Virginia Katherine McMathGirl

    birth name of American actress Ginger Rogers

  • Virginia Esther HamiltonGirl

    American children's author

  • Virginia SatirGirl

    American author and psychotherapist

  • Virginia HensleyGirl

    birth name of American singer Patsy Cline

  • Virginia DareGirl

    first child born in America to English parents

  • Virginia Eliza Clemm PoeGirl

    cousin and wife of writer Edgar Allen Poe

  • Virginia Elisabetta Luisa Carlotta Antonietta Teresa Maria OldoiniGirl

    Countess of Castiglione, Italian mistress of Napoleon III of France

  • Virginia ZucchiGirl

    Italian ballerina

  • Virginia A. McKennaGirl

    English actress

  • (Sarah) Virginia WadeGirl

    English tennis player

  • Virginia Gamba aka Sister Maria CelesteGirl

    daughter of astronomer Galileo

  • Virginia O'HanlonGirl

    American girl who wrote to "The Baltimore Sun"

  • Mary Virginia JohnsonGirl

    American sex researcher of Masters and Johnson

  • Virginia Dell Clinton KelleyGirl

    mother of U.S. President Bill Clinton

  • Virginia MannGirl

    younger daughter of photographer Sally Mann

  • Virginia "Ginny" ThrasherGirl

    American sport shooter

  • Virginia ZamperiniGirl

    sister of WWII POW Louis Zamperini

  • Virginia Elizabeth GardnerGirl

    American actress

  • Virginia Bocelli (b. 2012)Girl

    daughter of Italian classical tenor, recording artist, and singer,songwriter Andrea Bocelli

  • George Virginia Morgan (b. 2018)Girl

    daughter of actors Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilarie Burton

  • Virginia McLaurinGirl

    famous black American for living over 100 years old

  • Virginia Willow (b. 2018)Girl

    daughter of actress Haley Bennett and director Joe Wright

Virginia in pop culture

  • Virginia Polytech UniversityGirl

    site of the deadliest school shooting in US history

  • Virginia MosbyGirl

    Ted's mom on TV's "How I Met Your Mother"

  • Virginia "Pepper" PottsGirl

    character in Marvel Universe

  • Virginia BrushGirl

    character in movie 'The Strawberry Blonde'

  • Virginia LewisGirl

    main character in the miniseries 'The 10th Kingdom'

  • Virginia ChanceGirl

    character on TV's 'Raising Hope'

  • Virginia "Ginny" JohnsonGirl

    from Showtime's "Masters of Sex"

  • Virginia ItoGirl

    character in "The Glass Scientists"

  • Virginia DoyleGirl

    mother in the Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray

  • 'YesGirl

    Virginia', animated TV special inspired by Virginia O'Hanlon

  • VirginiaGirl

    from song "Only the Good Die Young" by Billy Joel

  • 'Meet Virginia'Girl

    song by Train

  • 'Leave Virginia Alone'Girl

    song by Rod Stewart, Tom Petty

  • 'Virginia'Girl

    song by Tori Amos

  • "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?Girl

    " play by Edward Albee

  • Virginia and West VirginiaGirl

    U.S. states

  • "My name's VirginiaGirl

    Virgin for short but not for long." (from 'Something Happened' by Joseph Heller)

  • Virginia ConlyGirl

    Elsie Dinsmore's niece in the Elsie Dinsmore series

  • Virginia au Augustus "Mustang"Girl

    a main character from Pierce Brown's Red Rising Trilogy

  • Virginia CroweGirl

    from Andrew Lane's Young Sherlock Holmes series.

  • VirginiaGirl

    one of the main four characters from Platoon of Power Squadron

  • Virginia “Ginny” MillerGirl

    from Netflix’s “Ginny & Georgia”

Variations & nicknames

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