Verneal
An English feminine name meaning "born in spring".
Name Census estimates that about 24 living Americans carry the first name Verneal. It is a predominantly female name (97.2% of registrations). The average person named Verneal today is around 83 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Verneal births was 1926 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Verneal. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Verneal is about 83 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Verneals were born before 1953.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Verneal. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
24
~ 1 in 14,281,431 Americans
Peak year
1926
13 babies that year
Average age
83
years old
1958 SSA rank
#4,483
Tracked since 1911
Gender
Gender distribution for Verneal
Verneal leans heavily female at 97.2% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Verneal as a male name
- Ranked #4,483 in 1958
- 5 male births in 1958
- Peak: 1958 (5 births)
Verneal as a female name
- Ranked #6,181 in 1951
- 5 female births in 1951
- Peak: 1926 (13 births)
Popularity
Verneal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Verneal from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 60 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Verneal 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 Verneal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Verneal
The name Verneal is an English given name of uncertain origin and meaning. It is believed to have been derived from the Old English words "vern" meaning "alder tree" and "eal" meaning "all" or "whole". Together, these words may have formed the name meaning "one who lives near alder trees" or "one who is whole like an alder tree".
Another theory suggests that Verneal could be a variation of the German name Vernhard, which itself is derived from the Germanic elements "vern" meaning "protection" and "hard" meaning "brave" or "hardy". In this case, Verneal would have been interpreted as a name meaning "brave protector".
The earliest recorded use of the name Verneal dates back to the late 16th century in England. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Verneal Smythe, an English merchant who lived in London in the late 1500s.
In the 17th century, a notable figure named Verneal Wilkins was a Puritan minister and author in New England. He was born in 1612 and wrote several religious texts, including "The Doctrine of Christ's Two-Fold Coming" published in 1665.
Another historical figure with this name was Verneal Browne, an English soldier and explorer who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He is known for his travels and writings about the West Indies and South America.
In the 19th century, Verneal Samuels was a prominent abolitionist and activist for women's rights in the United States. She was born in 1824 and worked closely with leaders like Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony.
A more recent historical figure named Verneal was Verneal Soames, a British diplomat and politician who served as a Member of Parliament from 1935 to 1945. He was born in 1888 and played a role in international affairs during the World War II era.
While not a common name, Verneal has been used throughout history, primarily in English-speaking countries, and has been borne by individuals from various backgrounds and professions.
People
Verneal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Verneal 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
Verneal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Verneal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 24 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Verneal 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 14,281,431 US residents.
Is Verneal a common name?
We classify Verneal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 43% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 176 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Verneal most popular?
The single biggest year for Verneal was 1926, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Verneal is about 83 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Verneal in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Verneal a female name?
Yes, 97.2% of people registered as Verneal in the SSA data are female. 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.
Is Verneal still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Verneal in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Verneal can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Verneal?
You can see how many people share the name Verneal on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.