boys' name ★ peaked 1920

Vernon

Meaning alder Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,387 Trend ↑ Rising 23%

From Transalpine Gaulish uerna (“alder”) (from Proto-Celtic *wernā, from Proto-Indo-European *wern-) + -o, -onis (locative suffix, literally “place of alder trees”).

Rank 2025
#1,387
among boys · ↑175 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
133
named Vernon · +19% vs 2024
How common
1 in 12,843
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1920
3,199 babies
All-time total
148,389
#235 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Vernon popularity over time

148,389 babies have been named Vernon 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
123418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 20 636 656 66 – #159
1890s 84 1,215 1,299 130 +98% #114
1900s 127 2,053 2,180 218 +68% #93
1910s 347 16,967 17,314 1,731 +694% #65
1920s 512 29,432 29,944 2,994 +73% #65
1930s 274 22,197 22,471 2,247 -25% #72
1940s 187 20,038 20,225 2,023 -10% #105
1950s 179 20,133 20,312 2,031 0% #131
1960s 117 14,409 14,526 1,453 -28% #173
1970s 90 7,722 7,812 781 -46% #224
1980s 39 5,375 5,414 541 -31% #290
1990s – 2,839 2,839 284 -48% #489
2000s – 1,562 1,562 156 -45% #820
2010s – 1,160 1,160 116 -26% #1,266
2020s (to 2025) – 675 675 113 -3% #1,387

Where Vernon is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 137 0.08 outside top 500
2027 141 0.08 outside top 500
2028 144 0.08 outside top 500
2029 147 0.09 outside top 500
2030 150 0.09 outside top 500

Where Vernon is most popular

Boys named Vernon per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.069 per 1,000. Strongest in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Ohio.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Vernon born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Minnesota 35 0.285 +314%
Wisconsin 29 0.245 +255%
Ohio 46 0.174 +152%
Michigan 22 0.107 +56%
Virginia 17 0.090 +30%
Indiana 10 0.062 -9%
Missouri 7 0.051 -27%
Colorado 6 0.046 -33%
New York 20 0.046 -33%
Texas 40 0.045 -34%
Pennsylvania 11 0.041 -40%
North Carolina 10 0.039 -43%
California 28 0.031 -56%
Washington 5 0.031 -56%
Tennessee 5 0.028 -60%
Illinois 5 0.020 -72%
Florida 7 0.015 -79%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Vernon

Vernon is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #1,387 in 2025 with 133 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 148,389 American babies have been named Vernon. Its peak came in 1920, when 3,199 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

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 Vernon stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Vernon?

The median living Vernon is about 65 years old; half are between 51 and 75. An estimated 60 thousand people named Vernon are alive in the United States today.

median 65 020406080100

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

Vernon 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 – – 133 #1,387
2024 – – 112 #1,562
2023 – – 107 #1,631
2022 – – 118 #1,531
2021 – – 125 #1,452
2020 – – 80 #1,870
2019 – – 115 #1,490
2018 – – 103 #1,602
2017 – – 115 #1,476
2016 – – 111 #1,521
2015 – – 106 #1,545
2014 – – 123 #1,387
2013 – – 113 #1,467
2012 – – 118 #1,418
2011 – – 118 #1,410
2010 – – 138 #1,266
2009 – – 115 #1,456
2008 – – 137 #1,275
2007 – – 151 #1,175
2006 – – 146 #1,161
2005 – – 136 #1,181
2004 – – 147 #1,085
2003 – – 174 #945
2002 – – 176 #916
2001 – – 184 #872
2000 – – 196 #820
1995 – – 237 #691
1990 – – 394 #489
1985 7 #9,280 547 #345
1980 6 #10,355 707 #290
1975 10 #5,973 690 #278
1970 13 #4,487 1,086 #224
1965 – – 1,358 #188
1960 19 #2,898 1,830 #173
1955 16 #2,967 2,035 #146
1950 17 #2,530 2,006 #134
1945 11 #2,908 1,936 #118
1940 16 #2,103 1,941 #105
1935 29 #1,380 2,112 #94
1930 41 #1,178 2,703 #72
1925 54 #1,033 2,912 #67
1920 55 #1,004 3,144 #65
1915 45 #999 2,060 #80
1910 17 #1,107 351 #94
1905 14 #1,053 208 #104
1900 16 #966 170 #133
1895 11 #1,048 131 #129
1890 6 #1,334 83 #171
1885 5 #1,192 71 #186
1880 – – 56 #214

Famous people named Vernon

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

  1. 1 Vernon Wells Vernon Wells Australian actor b. 1945 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Vernon Reid Vernon Reid British-American guitarist and songwriter b. 1958 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Vernon Forrest American boxer (1971–2009) Contemporary
  4. 4 Vernon A. Walters Vernon A. Walters United States general 1917–2002 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Vernon L. Smith Vernon L. Smith American economist and Nobel laureate (born 1927) Contemporary
  6. 6 Vernon Duke Vernon Duke Russian-American composer and songwriter (1903–1969) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Vernon?

The median living Vernon is about 65 years old. Half of all living Vernons are between 51 and 75 years old.

How many people named Vernon are alive today?

An estimated 60 thousand people named Vernon are alive in the United States, based on 148,389 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Vernon mean?

From Transalpine Gaulish uerna (“alder”) (from Proto-Celtic *wernā, from Proto-Indo-European *wern-) + -o, -onis (locative suffix, literally “place of alder trees”).

How popular is the name Vernon in 2025?

Vernon ranked #1,387 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 133 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Vernon?

148,389 babies have been named Vernon in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Vernon most popular?

Vernon peaked in 1920, when 3,199 newborns received the name.

Is Vernon a boy or girl name?

Vernon is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Vernon rising or falling?

Vernon has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Vernon become more popular?

Vernon is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 150 boys named Vernon 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 Vernon?

Well-known people named Vernon include Vernon Wells (actor), Vernon Reid (musician), Vernon Forrest (boxer).

Names like Vernon

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

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