Vernon
Masculine · “the place of alders”
Vernon is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 146,413 boys against 1,976 girls since 1880. See Vernon as a girl 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 was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Vernon alive today was born around 1939, making them about 86 years old. About 58,500 people named Vernon are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Vernon most popular?
Vernon peaked in 1919, reaching #65 nationally. Today it ranks #1382, 1,317 places below that high. See the whole 1919 chart.
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
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 19213,069 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #65reached in 1919
- Change vs 2022
- +12.7%133 in 2025, from 118
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.
Vernon in other languages
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, Ohio, California.
Vernons among us
people named Vernon are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 12,843 born in 2025 was named Vernon
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Cecil test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Vernon's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Cecil climbed just as high around 1902, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Cecil's path sketches the road Vernon is walking now.
Vernon is on its second act. Revived names age gently: the generation that wore them first is far enough away that the name feels classic rather than dated.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Vernon is headed
Vernon should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Vernon beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Vernon in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
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.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Vernon
Masculine · #1382 in the U.S.
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 58,500 people named Vernon are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Vernon in 2025?
- Vernon ranks #1382 among US boy names in 2025, with 133 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Vernon?
- About 1 in every 12,843 US boys born in 2025 was named Vernon — 133 in all.
- Will my child share the name Vernon with classmates?
- Vernon will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Vernon
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Kymir#1382 · Ivar#1382 · Deon#1382 · Micaiah#1382 · Brett#1382 · Lyric#1388 · Anton#1388 · Graysen#1388
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Vernon? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Vernon and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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