US rank #10889 Boys' name Peak 1920 11,490 births

Vern — #10889 US boys' name

11,490 babies named Vern in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1920. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s2441890s3501900s3551910s15381920s23571930s16831940s15911950s16111960s9841970s3681980s2141990s1072000s452010s152020s28
#10889
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 24% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

21% of everyone ever named Vern was born in this single decade.

1920
Single peak year

274 babies were named Vern in 1920 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Vern

The Social Security Administration has registered 11,490 babies named Vern between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Vern currently holds the #10889 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1920, when 274 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Vern performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 2,357 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Vern shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Michigan, which accounts for 1,042 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by California and Iowa. In total, SSA state-level files list Vern in 28 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Vern in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 11,490 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Vern at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

11,490

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1920

274 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#10,889

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Vern popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1920)
274
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-1000100200300 202419941977196019431926190918921880 19

Vern popularity over time — girls

485 total births recorded since 1890 (Vern as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 485 births
05101520 19701956194319341925191719091890 5

Vern by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
2,357 births that decade — 21% of Vern's all-time total
1880s2441890s3501900s3551910s15381920s23571930s16831940s15911950s16111960s9841970s3681980s2141990s1072000s452010s152020s28

Vern by state

Where Vern concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Vern
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Michigan
1,042 9.1%
#2 California
654 5.7%
#3 Iowa
593 5.2%
#4 Minnesota
503 4.4%
#5 Illinois
478 4.2%
#6 Washington
441 3.8%
#7 Utah
425 3.7%
#8 Nebraska
390 3.4%
Michigan share of Vern's total US births 9.1%
Even split

1,042 of 11,490 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 28 reporting states.

Vern appears in 28 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Vern?
11,490 babies have been named Vern since 1880. It currently ranks #10889 among boys. The peak year was 1920 with 274 births.
When was Vern most popular?
Vern was most popular in the 1920s decade with 2,357 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Vern most popular?
The top states for the name Vern are Michigan (1,042 births), California (654 births), Iowa (593 births).
How long has the name Vern been used?
Vern has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Vern?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Vernon, Verne, Verlin, Vernell, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.