girl's name
Vera
VEER-a
- Origin Slavic
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 153,904
the United States
#205
2025 births
Vera is a girl's name with two origins that both work. In Russian it means "faith"; in Latin vera means "true" — and unusually for such a pair, the two senses reinforce rather than contradict each other.
- Vera is a name of Slavic origin.
- Peaked in 1918, when 3,934 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 2,237 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Vera over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,365 |
| 1890s | 6,383 |
| 1900s | 10,478 |
| 1910s | 28,368 |
| 1920s | 32,662 |
| 1930s | 18,135 |
| 1940s | 12,223 |
| 1950s | 11,061 |
| 1960s | 6,037 |
| 1970s | 2,258 |
| 1980s | 1,311 |
| 1990s | 869 |
| 2000s | 1,612 |
| 2010s | 9,052 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 8,040 |
What Vera means
Vera means faith in its Russian reading and true in its Latin one. The Russian is the primary source: it is one of three sisters in an early Christian legend, named Faith, Hope and Love.
Where Vera comes from
The Russian Vera means faith, and belongs to a set of three: Vera, Nadezhda and Lyubov — Faith, Hope and Love — the daughters of Saint Sophia in a legend that translated the Greek virtues directly into Slavic names. Separately, the Latin verus means true, giving verity, verify and very. The two are unrelated in origin but converge in sense, which is unusual; most of our double-origin names mean contradictory things. Vera Lynn, the Forces' Sweetheart, made the name inseparable from wartime Britain.
Vera in use
Our data marks Vera as reviving, peaking in 1918, at 205 in the United States against 725 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1880. Its 1918 peak sits with Edith and Dorothy — a cluster of names that crested during the First World War and are now returning together.
How popular is Vera?
In 2025, Vera was given to 1,482 babies in the United States, ranking #205 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Vera is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Vera is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Véra | Véra is a rare spelling of Vera, written with an acute accent and recorded about 160 times, mostly in France. | 160 |
Names that peaked alongside Vera
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Vera also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Vera over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Vera
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Vera in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Vera
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Vera — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Vera
What does the name Vera mean?
"Faith" in Russian, and "true" in Latin — unusually, the two senses reinforce each other.
Is Vera Russian or Latin?
Both, independently. The Russian is the primary source, from a legend naming three sisters Faith, Hope and Love.
Is Vera related to Verity?
Through the Latin verus, true — though Verity is an English virtue name and Vera reaches us through Russian.
How popular is the name Vera?
In 2025, Vera was given to 1,482 babies in the United States, ranking #205 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Vera a girl's or a boy's name?
Vera is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Vera?
Vera has 2 syllables.
When was Vera most popular?
Vera peaked in 1918, when 3,934 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Vera?
Vera is usually shortened to Vee.
Is Vera a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Vera currently ranks #205 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.