Verba
Feminine
Verba is a rare name from the turn of the twentieth century, and in Latin it is a plain word: verba, 'words'. It sits in one of the best-known Latin proverbs, about the difference between speaking and writing.
How old is the name Verba?
Verba first appears in US birth records in 1897 — 128 years ago. The typical Verba alive today was born around 1926, making them about 99 years old. About 100 people named Verba are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Verba most popular?
Verba peaked in 1907, reaching #1289 nationally. See the whole 1907 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Verba
'Verba volant, scripta manent', runs the Latin proverb: spoken words fly away, written ones remain. It has been read two ways — as a warning to put agreements in writing, and as praise for speech that goes out into the world. Verba, the American name, most likely came from Verda or Vera. But it happens to be the Latin for words, and a name that means words is not a bad thing to be given.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Verba may be Verda or Vera reshaped, or a name of its own; nothing records which. In Latin verba means 'words', but the name is not documented as taken from it.
Pronouncing Verba
VUR-buh
Two syllables with the stress on the first.
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1897
- Most girls named
- 192728 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1289reached in 1907
- Change vs 1956
- −44.4%5 in 1960, from 9
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Verbas among us
people named Verba are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Verba sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Short and unusual.
- Almost certain to be the only one.
- Easy to say.
- People will hear Vera or Verda.
- It sounds close to the grammar word verb.
- It reads as an early-twentieth-century name.
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Verba
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Verbas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 100 people named Verba are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Verba in 2025?
- Verba is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Verba with classmates?
- Verba will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More V names
The most-given names starting with V, all years combined.
Virginia#525 · Victoria#54 · Valerie#127 · Vanessa#377 · Vivian#70 · Veronica#427 · Violet#13 · Vicki
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Verba? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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