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I know of two. One is s very old man, 80’s at least.
The other is a young boy in my sons school, probably 12 years old.
I think it’s positively ugly, and fits right in with the ugly old man names that seem to be making s surge upward.
Of the two, Virgil looks better.

I've known one Virgil, but he was an elderly man, born in 1939. We had the same birthday. He was exactly 21 years older than I am.

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The only other association I have of it is as the narrator of the song "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down." "Virgil Caine is my name and I served on the Danville train". I think the song is half the reason that I like it.

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Anyhoo, I like it but I'm not so sure it's usable due to the closeness to the word "virgin". I really don't think I'd use it, in spite of liking it. I prefer the Virgil spelling.

This message was edited 6/21/2019, 6:36 AM

I would like to see it in a way, because I think it's cool, but I don't think it's usable - not because it's classical, but because it sounds like virgin, and isn't familiar enough to get away with it (like Virginia, which only barely does).

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Virgil looks much nicer.

There are plenty of names in daily use that make Virgil and/or Vergil look positively mainstream!

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I went through a phase of using the -e- spelling when I started the Aeneid too! But it didn't last. Just looks unEnglish, which is fair enough because it is; maybe Virgi- being the start of Virginia (and indeed of virgin etc) is influencing our decisions?

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Am I hallucinating, or was there once some mildly prominent American called Virgil, or maybe Vergil - possibly an astronaut? I'd be less surprised to see it used in the USA than if it turned up elsewhere.

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Anyway, I wouldn't use it myself: nothing wrong with it, but there are just so many names that I prefer. Wouldn't use Aeneas either! Or Dido; though you might tempt me with Elissa! And Camilla is positively mainstream itself, if a bit too duchessy.

Virgil is definitely usable. Full name only, no nicknames. Vergil looks odd to me.

This message was edited 6/21/2019, 12:35 AM

Even though I don't like the sound, it's definitely usable, as most people are familiar with his poetry. I prefer the Virgil spelling.

I love Virgil, I first heard the name from the main character of the cartoon Static Shock when I was little, so it's never seemed strange to me. This is the first time I've seen it spelled 'Vergil' though; to me it looks like it would be pronounced 'VEHR-' instead of 'VUR-'.

I think Virgil is handsome. The other spelling doesn’t appeal to me. My only associations are the American astronaut and a film character in a romantic drama, played but Val Kilmer, inspired by the life story of a blind man named Shirl.

I’ve loved the name for a long time. I prefer the spelling Virgil as it’s more common. The biggest problem I could see is that it’s very close to the word “virgin” and pretty easy to be teased about.