Varick
Of Dutch origin meaning "brave" or "courageous".
Name Census estimates that about 248 living Americans carry the first name Varick. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Varick today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Varick births was 2014 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Varick. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
248
~ 1 in 1,382,074 Americans
Peak year
2014
14 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2022 SSA rank
#14,180
Tracked since 1963
Popularity
Varick: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Varick from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 95 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Varick by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Varick during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Varicks live
Origin
Meaning and history of Varick
The name Varick is a Dutch name with its origins dating back to the 17th century. It is derived from the Dutch surname Vaarwerk, which refers to a ferry or a place where a ferry crosses a river or body of water. The name Varick is believed to have been adopted as a first name by Dutch settlers in the New Netherland colony, which encompassed parts of present-day New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Varick can be found in the records of the Dutch Reformed Church in New Amsterdam (now New York City) in the late 1600s. During this period, the name was primarily used by families of Dutch descent living in the colony.
In the 18th century, the name Varick gained prominence with the life and career of Richard Varick (1753-1831), an American military officer and lawyer who served as the third Mayor of New York City from 1789 to 1801. Varick played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War, serving as a secretary and aide-de-camp to General George Washington.
Another notable figure who bore the name Varick was James Varick (1750-1826), a merchant and landowner from New York who served as a Colonel in the Revolutionary War. He was also a member of the New York State Assembly and the State Senate.
In the 19th century, Varick Street in New York City was named after Richard Varick, further cementing the name's association with the city's history and Dutch heritage.
One of the most renowned individuals with the name Varick in the 20th century was Varick Frissell (1920-1976), an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He was best known for his novels set in the American South, including "The Garden Bull" and "The Bride of the Sabbath."
Another notable figure was Varick Frissell, Jr. (1949-2019), an American producer, director, and screenwriter who worked on several popular television series, including "The X-Files" and "Star Trek: Voyager."
While the name Varick may not be as common today as it once was, it remains a unique and historically significant name with deep roots in Dutch and American history.
People
Varick + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Varick as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Varick: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Varick?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 248 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Varick going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,382,074 US residents.
Is Varick a common name?
We classify Varick as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 257 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Varick most popular?
The single biggest year for Varick was 2014, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Varick is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Varick a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Varick in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.