Head to head · Girls' names
Angelina vs Paige
#347 vs #346 in 2025 · both stepping back from its peak
Paige is a whisker ahead (#346 vs #347 in 2025) and both are stepping back from its peak. The records will not split these two — sound, story and your own last name will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Paige leads 3 measures of 6; Angelina leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Angelina #511, Paige — — Angelina higher
- 1890s: Angelina #357, Paige — — Angelina higher
- 1900s: Angelina #251, Paige — — Angelina higher
- 1910s: Angelina #208, Paige #2900 — Angelina higher
- 1920s: Angelina #203, Paige #3647 — Angelina higher
- 1930s: Angelina #306, Paige #3373 — Angelina higher
- 1940s: Angelina #498, Paige #1482 — Angelina higher
- 1950s: Angelina #579, Paige #1016 — Angelina higher
- 1960s: Angelina #522, Paige #423 — Paige higher
- 1970s: Angelina #354, Paige #445 — Angelina higher
- 1980s: Angelina #298, Paige #303 — Angelina higher
- 1990s: Angelina #284, Paige #66 — Paige higher
- 2000s: Angelina #76, Paige #70 — Paige higher
- 2010s: Angelina #169, Paige #148 — Paige higher
- 2020s: Angelina #311, Paige #328 — Angelina higher
Angelina stood higher in 11 of 15 decades; Angelina took the 2020s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Angelina | Paige |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #511 | — |
| 1890s | #357 | — |
| 1900s | #251 | — |
| 1910s | #208 | #2900 |
| 1920s | #203 | #3647 |
| 1930s | #306 | #3373 |
| 1940s | #498 | #1482 |
| 1950s | #579 | #1016 |
| 1960s | #522 | #423 |
| 1970s | #354 | #445 |
| 1980s | #298 | #303 |
| 1990s | #284 | #66 |
| 2000s | #76 | #70 |
| 2010s | #169 | #148 |
| 2020s | #311 | #328 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Angelina
little angel; from Greek 'messenger'
The root is Greek angelos, 'messenger', which Christian Greek and then Latin took up as the word for an angel. Angela is the feminine of that; Angelina adds the Italian diminutive -ina, so the sense is roughly 'little Angela' or 'little angel'.
angelos (Greek, 'messenger') → Angelus (Latin) → Angela → Angelina
How it traveled
The word behind the name is Greek angelos, a messenger, which the Greek translators of the Hebrew Bible used for the heavenly messengers and which passed into Latin as angelus. From that came Angelus and Angela as personal names in medieval Christian Europe, and Italian did what Italian does — added -ina to make Angelina, a name long at home in Italy and in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Paige
a young servant
The word behind the name meant a boy in service in a household, and the reading is settled. It reached English from French and Italian, and further back from a Greek word for a child. As a surname it described the job; as a first name it describes nothing, which is the ordinary fate of occupational names.
A Greek word for a child, through Italian and French → An English word for a boy in service → A surname with an added letter → Paige as a first name, mostly for girls
Our story of Paige — where the record runs out
The name and the word have quietly settled on different spellings, and that is unusual. Normally a word-name keeps the word's spelling and the two are read together: a rose is a rose whether it is a flower or a woman.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Angelina
an-juh-LEE-nuh
Stress on the third syllable. Italian and Spanish speakers say ahn-jeh-LEE-nah with a fuller second vowel; both are the same name and neither needs correcting.
- Angie — The most common English short form; also given on its own as a full name, and shared with Angela.
- Lina — Taken from the end of the name; a standalone given name in its own right across Europe and the Middle East.
- Angel — Informal, and a full given name of its own in English and Spanish, where it is usually masculine (Ángel).
- Ange — Casual, one syllable, more common in Britain and Australia than in the US.
- Also Gina, Nina.
Paige
PAYJ
One syllable. The i is entirely silent and does nothing to the vowel in front of it, which already had its value from the a and the final e.
- Pai — The front alone, which is minimal and almost unshared.
- Paigey — The softened form, warm and used inside families.
- PJ — The initials, unisex and thoroughly American.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Angelina if you want…
- a name with more sound in itAngelina runs 4 syllables, Paige 1
- plenty of nickname options6 recorded short forms — Angie, Lina and Angel
- a long American recordAngelina was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Paige if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsPaige is stepping back from its peak
- a name with fewer syllablesPaige is 1 syllable to Angelina's 4
- a newer arrivalPaige entered the US charts in 1915
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Angelina
Strengths
- The spelling is already known worldwide — Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian all use it as written, with no adaptation needed.
- Several short forms are long established: Angie, Lina, Ange, Gina. None has to be invented.
- A continuous record in American use across every shift of fashion since national name statistics began.
To consider
- For the last quarter-century one very famous actress has held most of the name's public associations in the US. That will fade, but it is the first thing many adults think of.
- The 'angel' meaning is plain to anyone who hears it, and Angel is an easy playground shortening. If you would rather the religious note stayed quiet, this name will not keep it quiet.
- Four syllables is a lot before a long surname, and near-neighbors like Angelena, Angeline and Angelica mean the spelling gets checked now and then.
Paige
Strengths
- One syllable, no ambiguity, and nothing at all to teach anybody.
- It works on the register for either child, which the record confirms.
- The spelling separates the name from the ordinary word.
To consider
- The silent i has to be given every time the name is spelled aloud.
- The word it comes from named boys, which some families weigh.
- It is closely tied to the turn of the twenty-first century.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Angelina and Paige in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Angelina and Paige?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap
More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
- Classics hiding in plain sight
- Under the radar: quietly excellent picks
- Names with only one spelling
- all guides
Every list here names both Angelina and Paige — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Angelina or Paige — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Angelina or Paige?
- Paige, in 2025: Paige ranked #346 with 884 babies; Angelina ranked #347 with 875 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Angelina or Paige?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Angelina moved down 57 places; Paige moved down 70 places.
- Which is the older name, Angelina or Paige?
- Angelina was already in use when US records began in 1880; Paige entered the US charts in 1915. On the American record, Angelina is the older name.
- How many people are named Angelina and Paige?
- About 101,000 people named Angelina are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 144,000 people named Paige are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Angelinas or Paiges in the classroom?
- Angelina will almost certainly be the only one in school. Paige will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Angelina, Paige and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap