Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2011	Aug. 22, 2011
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jul. 30, 2011
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2011
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	AEO
Entity Registrant Name	AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000919012
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--02-02
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		194,901,192