From Latin aquila, meaning eagle.
Aquila soars in on the wings of Latin, meaning simply "eagle" — the king of birds, Rome's most potent symbol of imperial power and divine favor. The eagle appeared on Roman legionary standards, on Jupiter's scepter, and in the constellation Aquila that ancient astronomers traced across the summer sky along the Milky Way. To bear the name Aquila in antiquity was to carry the emblem of Rome's highest aspirations.
The name's most enduring historical bearer appears in the New Testament: Aquila of Pontus, a Jewish tentmaker who, alongside his wife Priscilla, became one of the earliest and most significant figures of the Christian mission. The couple hosted Paul in Corinth, traveled with him to Ephesus, and is mentioned with remarkable equality — sometimes Priscilla's name appears first, suggesting she may have been the more prominent teacher. This biblical Aquila gave the name deep resonance in early Christian communities across the Roman Empire.
A second-century Jewish scholar named Aquila of Sinope produced an influential Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, further cementing the name's learned, devout associations. Aquila was used for both men and women in antiquity and has never entirely disappeared, maintained by families with classical or ecclesiastical leanings. In the modern era it carries an almost archaeological beauty — rare enough to feel discovered rather than chosen, yet grounded in centuries of documented use. It appeals to parents who want a name that reaches across millennia, connecting their child to Roman eagles, early Christian households, and the stars overhead.