<p>^^Actually there’s an interesting story about how both came to be accepted…(Ahh, memories from my AP Latin class)</p>
<p>His original name is Vergilius, which became Vergil according to the European (I forget when or whom) practice of dropping the Latin ending when angliticizing Latin names. So the technically correct spelling would be Vergil.</p>
<p>There are two theories with regard to why/how Virgil came up. I think one had to do with the Latin world virgo (maiden) and Vergil’s modesty, which was considered a maiden’s characteristic. The second–which my teacher said was much more popular among the scholars–has to do with the Latin word virga (wand)and the magical powers Europeans in the Middle Ages thought Vergil had. Since Vergil (obviously) came from a non-Christian background, the medieval scholars argued that some of his writings–I forget which–metaphorically hinted at the coming of Christ. Just google “Vergil name” and you’ll get more detailed stories.</p>
<p>In any case, you can definitely take Latin in addition to the classes for your major & core requirements. And you should, because Latin is a fascinating (although dead) language.</p>