Total births
149,456
Girls' name · since 1880
Vera
149,456 babies named Vera in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #226
- among girls today
- 149,456
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other girls
Vera currently ranks #226 among girls' names in America, with 149,456 babies recorded since 1880.
Vera has 149,456 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #226 as of the latest data, more common than 99% of girls, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #226 among girls today
- 149,456 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 99% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Vera is currently the #226 girls' name in America, more common than 99% of girls - 149,456 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #226
- among girls today
- 149,456
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99%
- more common than other girls
Vera vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#226
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Vera was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
3,923 babies were named Vera in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Vera compares
149,456 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Vera's all-time total is 391x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Vera | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 149,456 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 3,923 | 48 | 19,840 |
Vera's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Vera's full recorded timeline at 1953, 25% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 75% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 48 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 3,923 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Vera at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1918
Current rank
#226
Active since
1880
Vera popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 3,923
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Vera popularity over time - boys
398 total births recorded since 1897 (Vera as boys' name)
Vera by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Vera's strongest decade.
32,541 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Vera births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,365
1880s
1,365 births
- 1890s 6,377
1890s
6,377 births
- 1900s 10,457
1900s
10,457 births
- 1910s
1910s
28,289 births
- 1920s
1920s
32,541 births
- 1930s
1930s
18,023 births
- 1940s 12,189
1940s
12,189 births
- 1950s 11,041
1950s
11,041 births
- 1960s 6,032
1960s
6,032 births
- 1970s 2,258
1970s
2,258 births
- 1980s 1,311
1980s
1,311 births
- 1990s 869
1990s
869 births
- 2000s 1,612
2000s
1,612 births
- 2010s 9,052
2010s
9,052 births
- 2020s 8,040
2020s
8,040 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 32,541 births (22% of all-time use).
How Vera compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Vera's total volume
Vera vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Vera by state
Where Vera concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 8,704 | 5.8% |
| #2 | New York | | 7,713 | 5.2% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 6,926 | 4.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 6,475 | 4.3% |
| #5 | California | | 6,355 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 5,677 | 3.8% |
| #7 | Georgia | | 5,393 | 3.6% |
| #8 | Alabama | | 5,135 | 3.4% |
Texas share of Vera's total US births 5.8%
Even split
8,704 of 149,456 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Vera appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Vera? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 149,456 babies named Vera. Today it holds rank #226 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1918, with 3,923 births.
When was Vera most popular? ▼
Vera was most popular in the 1920s decade with 32,541 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Vera most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Vera are Texas (8,704 births), New York (7,713 births), Pennsylvania (6,926 births).
How long has the name Vera been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Vera since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Vera? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Veronica, Verna, Verda, Vernice, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Vera's data
- Vera's decade-level peak was the 1920s (32,541 total births); usage has since declined to 8,040 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Veras (8,704 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Vera
Nearby Names Like Vera
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Vera
Veronica Girl
#392 223,775 births
Verna Girl
#4894 69,113 births
Verda Girl
8,062 births
Vernice Girl
7,290 births
Vernell Girl
7,124 births
Compare Vera side by side: Vera vs Veronica Vera vs Verna Vera vs Verda
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Vera
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Vera: #226 Girls' Name - 149,456 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/vera. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Vera draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.