Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Jan. 30, 2016	Mar. 07, 2016	Aug. 01, 2015
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jan. 30, 2016
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	AEO
Entity Registrant Name	AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000919012
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--01-30
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		180,659,762
Entity Public Float			$ 3,211,142,684