Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1918

Verna

Meaning spring-like Gender Girl · 1% boys Rank 2025 #3,513 Trend → Stable

Coined in the 19th century, from Latin vernus (“spring-like”) or as a feminine of Vernon.

Rank 2025
#3,513
among girls · ↑1,503 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
44
named Verna · +63% vs 2024
How common
1 in 36,529
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1918
1,885 babies
All-time total
69,638
#480 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Verna popularity over time

69,638 babies have been named Verna since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 1,052 5 1,057 106 – #165
1890s 3,036 – 3,036 304 +187% #129
1900s 4,752 31 4,783 478 +58% #117
1910s 13,214 90 13,304 1,330 +178% #124
1920s 16,265 154 16,419 1,642 +23% #135
1930s 10,582 100 10,682 1,068 -35% #151
1940s 7,868 54 7,922 792 -26% #204
1950s 6,160 50 6,210 621 -22% #292
1960s 3,355 29 3,384 338 -46% #421
1970s 1,165 12 1,177 118 -65% #757
1980s 537 – 537 54 -54% #1,523
1990s 334 – 334 33 -38% #2,749
2000s 293 – 293 29 -12% #3,884
2010s 313 – 313 31 +7% #3,655
2020s (to 2025) 187 – 187 31 0% #3,513

Where Verna is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 45 0.03 outside top 500
2027 46 0.03 outside top 500
2028 46 0.03 outside top 500
2029 47 0.03 outside top 500
2030 47 0.03 outside top 500

The story of Verna

Verna is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,513 in 2025 with 44 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 69,638 American babies have been named Verna. Its peak came in 1918, when 1,885 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Verna stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Verna?

The median living Verna is about 73 years old; half are between 63 and 83. An estimated 19 thousand people named Verna are alive in the United States today.

median 73 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Verna year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 44 #3,513 – –
2024 27 #5,016 – –
2023 25 #5,242 – –
2022 38 #3,961 – –
2021 24 #5,392 – –
2020 29 #4,641 – –
2019 26 #5,152 – –
2018 37 #3,999 – –
2017 36 #4,142 – –
2016 43 #3,655 – –
2015 25 #5,445 – –
2014 38 #3,996 – –
2013 32 #4,532 – –
2012 26 #5,392 – –
2011 29 #4,908 – –
2010 21 #6,370 – –
2009 16 #8,032 – –
2008 38 #4,170 – –
2007 27 #5,366 – –
2006 30 #4,803 – –
2005 28 #4,823 – –
2004 31 #4,488 – –
2003 32 #4,211 – –
2002 27 #4,612 – –
2001 31 #4,102 – –
2000 33 #3,884 – –
1995 28 #3,877 – –
1990 34 #3,295 – –
1985 44 #2,316 – –
1980 56 #1,935 – –
1975 103 #1,138 – –
1970 195 #757 7 #4,210
1965 274 #578 – –
1960 532 #421 – –
1955 617 #346 10 #2,752
1950 719 #292 6 #3,663
1945 719 #253 8 #2,736
1940 865 #204 9 #2,661
1935 979 #181 7 #3,242
1930 1,359 #151 11 #2,600
1925 1,613 #153 15 #2,183
1920 1,851 #135 15 #2,225
1915 1,570 #126 14 #2,060
1910 626 #130 – –
1905 488 #129 6 #1,224
1900 412 #143 – –
1895 326 #140 – –
1890 244 #145 – –
1885 108 #177 – –
1880 46 #231 – –

Famous people named Verna

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Verna Bloom Verna Bloom American actress (1938–2019) Contemporary
  2. 2 Verna Felton Verna Felton American actress (1890–1966) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Verna, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Verna?

The median living Verna is about 73 years old. Half of all living Vernas are between 63 and 83 years old.

How many people named Verna are alive today?

An estimated 19 thousand people named Verna are alive in the United States, based on 69,638 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Verna mean?

Coined in the 19th century, from Latin vernus (“spring-like”) or as a feminine of Vernon.

How popular is the name Verna in 2025?

Verna ranked #3,513 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 44 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Verna?

69,638 babies have been named Verna in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Verna most popular?

Verna peaked in 1918, when 1,885 newborns received the name.

Is Verna a boy or girl name?

Verna is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Verna rising or falling?

Verna has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Verna become more popular?

Verna is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 47 girls named Verna in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Verna?

Well-known people named Verna include Verna Bloom (actor), Verna Felton (actor).

Names like Verna

Names that sound and feel close to Verna: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Verna with similar names → More names starting with V →