boy's name
Vernon
VER-non
- Origin French
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 148,829
Ireland
#376
1992 births
Vernon is a Norman place name meaning a place of alders, from a Gaulish word — so a French town gave England a surname that America turned into a first name, three languages deep.
- Vernon is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 1920, when 3,199 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 24,928 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Vernon 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 | 656 |
| 1890s | 1,299 |
| 1900s | 2,180 |
| 1910s | 17,314 |
| 1920s | 29,944 |
| 1930s | 22,471 |
| 1940s | 20,225 |
| 1950s | 20,312 |
| 1960s | 14,526 |
| 1970s | 7,812 |
| 1980s | 5,414 |
| 1990s | 2,839 |
| 2000s | 1,562 |
| 2010s | 1,160 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 675 |
What Vernon means
Vernon means the alder grove, or a place where alders grow. The Gaulish word for the tree survived into the place name after the language itself died out.
Where Vernon comes from
Vernon is a town in Normandy, from the Gaulish verno, an alder, with a Latin ending — one of a large number of French place names preserving Gaulish vocabulary that Latin otherwise displaced entirely. Alders grow in wet ground and their wood resists rot underwater, which is why Venice stands on alder piles. The de Vernon family came to England with the Conquest, and the given-name use is nineteenth-century, arriving with the same wave that lifted Clifford and Darrell.
Vernon in use
Vernon peaked in the United States in 1920, when 3,199 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 1383rd in the United States on 133 births, across 148,829 lifetime births. Its 1920 peak places it with Clyde, Pearl and Lloyd in the immediate post-war band.
How popular is Vernon?
In 2025, Vernon was given to 133 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Vernon 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.
Names that peaked alongside Vernon
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Vernon also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Vernon over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Vernon
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.
Vernon 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 Vernon
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Vernon — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Vernon
What does the name Vernon mean?
A place of alders — from the Gaulish verno, an alder.
Is Vernon a French name?
It is a Norman town, and the family came to England with the Conquest. The given-name use is later and American.
Why does Gaulish survive in place names?
Latin displaced the language but not its geography — a great many French place names preserve Gaulish words.
How popular is Vernon?
1383rd in the United States, the only market where it charts.
Is Vernon a girl's or a boy's name?
Vernon is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Vernon?
Vernon has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Vernon?
Vernon is usually shortened to Vern.
Is Vernon a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Vernon currently ranks #1,383 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.