Argil
An English masculine name derived from Greek 'argos' meaning swift.
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Argil. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Argil today is around 87 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Argil births was 1916 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Argil. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Argil is about 87 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Argils were born before 1949.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Argil. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1916
9 babies that year
Average age
87
years old
1947 SSA rank
#3,748
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Argil: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Argil from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 20 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Argil remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Argil by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Argil during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Argil
The given name Argil has its origins in ancient Celtic cultures, dating back to the 5th century AD. It is believed to be derived from the old Gaulish word "arganto," which means "silver" or "white." This name was popular among the Celts inhabiting regions in what is now modern-day France and the British Isles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Argil can be found in the Annals of Ulster, an ancient Irish chronicle written in the 15th century. The text mentions an Irish chieftain named Argil mac Óengusso, who lived in the late 6th century. Another notable historical figure bearing this name was Argil the Bard, a renowned Welsh poet and storyteller from the 9th century.
In the 11th century, the name Argil appeared in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The book lists an individual named Argil de Mereville, who held lands in Oxfordshire.
During the Middle Ages, the name Argil gained popularity among the noble classes in Europe. One notable bearer was Argil de Lusignan, a French nobleman and crusader who participated in the Third Crusade in the late 12th century. Another was Argil of Dol, a Breton cleric and scholar who served as the Bishop of Dol in the early 13th century.
In the 15th century, Argil was the name of a Scottish knight who fought alongside King James IV at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He was reportedly one of the few survivors of the Scottish army on that fateful day.
As the centuries passed, the name Argil became less common, but it continued to be used by a few notable individuals. In the 19th century, there was an American writer and poet named Argil Graham, who published several works of fiction and poetry.
People
Argil + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Argil as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Argil: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Argil?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Argil going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Argil a common name?
We classify Argil as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 62 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Argil most popular?
The single biggest year for Argil was 1916, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Argil is about 87 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Argil in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Argil a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Argil in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Argil still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Argil in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Argil can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Argil?
You can see how many people have the name Argil on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.