Angel

Meaning of Angel

Angel is a boy’s name derived from the Greek angelos, meaning messenger or envoy, by way of the Latin angelus. In Christian tradition the word came to denote a heavenly messenger, and that is the sense the name carries in English. The Spanish form is Ángel, written with an accent. Its meaning is commonly given as messenger of God or simply angel, and the origin is not disputed. The name is common in both Spanish- and English-speaking countries.

English speakers pronounce the name AN-juhl; Spanish speakers say ahn-HEL.

In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, angels are spiritual beings who serve as messengers of God, and they appear throughout scripture, liturgy and religious art. The word is also the ordinary English noun for such a being. Among well-known bearers of the name are the Argentine golfer Ángel Cabrera, winner of the 2007 U.S. Open and the 2009 Masters, and the American singer-songwriter Angel Olsen.

In the United States the name climbed steeply through the 1990s, reaching a peak of No. 31 in 2006, when 11,602 boys were given it. By 2025 it ranked No. 67, with 4,757 births, still a top-100 name.

Pronunciation

Spanish

• Pronunced as ahn-HEL (/anˈxel/)

English

• Pronunced as AN-juhl (/ˈeɪndʒəl/)

• Angelo
• Angelito