Vernon
Feminine · “the place of alders”
Vernon is given to boys far more often — 146,413 boys against 1,976 girls since 1880. See Vernon as a boy name
The most famous house in America is named after a British admiral. Lawrence Washington served under him in the Caribbean, thought well enough of him to name the family estate for him, and his younger half-brother inherited both the property and the name — which is how a Georgian officer of the Royal Navy ended up attached to the home of the first president.
How old is the name Vernon?
Vernon first appears in US birth records in 1881 — 144 years ago. The typical Vernon alive today was born around 1926, making them about 99 years old. About 600 people named Vernon are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Vernon most popular?
Vernon peaked in 1881, reaching #830 nationally. See the whole 1881 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Vernon
Alder is the timber that does not rot underwater, and an entire city rests on that fact. Venice is built on millions of alder piles driven into the mud of the lagoon, where the absence of oxygen and the wood's own properties have kept them sound for a thousand years and more — the piles under the Rialto have been examined and are effectively petrified rather than decayed. The Romans knew it and used alder for bridge foundations. It is the least glamorous tree in the European forest and it is holding up more architecture than any of the others.
Meaning
the place of alders
A Norman place name built on a Gaulish word for the alder tree with a locative ending. The derivation is secure and the tree in question is a specific and rather interesting one.
Pronouncing Vernon
VUR-nun
Two syllables with the stress at the front and the second reduced. The spelling gives no trouble at all.
Nicknames for Vernon
Moderate
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
- 1881
- Most girls named
- 191961 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #830reached in 1881
- Change vs 1984
- −25.0%6 in 1987, from 8
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.
Vernons among us
people named Vernon 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
Vernon 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
- Vern is a ready short form that needs no explaining.
- The spelling and the sound agree completely.
- It is currently returning after a long absence, so it reads as neither dated nor invented.
- Its earlier peak was long enough ago to give the name a period feel for some.
- The alder meaning is entirely invisible without explanation.
- The record holds girls as well, and the girl is much the smaller side.
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Vernon
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Vernons are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Vernon are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Vernon in 2025?
- Vernon is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Vernon with classmates?
- Vernon 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 Vernon? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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