Vernee
A feminine name of French origin meaning "green" or "verdant".
Name Census estimates that about 84 living Americans carry the first name Vernee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Vernee today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vernee births was 1979 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vernee. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Vernee. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
84
~ 1 in 4,080,409 Americans
Peak year
1979
30 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
1983 SSA rank
#12,018
Tracked since 1957
Popularity
Vernee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vernee from the 1950s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 62 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Vernee remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vernee 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 Vernee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vernees live
Origin
Meaning and history of Vernee
The name Vernee is believed to have originated from the Old French word "verne," which means "alder tree." It is a unisex name that gained popularity in the Middle Ages, particularly in parts of France and surrounding regions.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the name Vernee was commonly used in medieval France, often associated with individuals of noble or upper-class backgrounds. Historical records from this period show various spellings, such as Vernay, Vernei, and Verney, likely due to regional variations and changes in spelling conventions over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vernee can be found in the medieval French epic poem "La Chanson de Roland" (The Song of Roland), written around 1100 AD. In this literary work, a character named Vernee is mentioned as a knight in the service of Charlemagne, the King of the Franks.
Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance, several notable individuals bore the name Vernee. One such figure was Vernee de Savoie (1386-1458), a French nobleman and military commander who served under King Charles VII during the Hundred Years' War against England.
Another prominent Vernee was Vernee de Genève (1509-1572), a Swiss Protestant reformer and theologian who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation movement in Geneva, alongside John Calvin.
In the realm of literature, Vernee de Beaumont (1711-1780) was a French author and governess best known for her collection of fairy tales, including the classic story "Beauty and the Beast."
During the 19th century, Vernee de Moncrif (1822-1891) was a French novelist and playwright who gained recognition for her works exploring themes of love, society, and family dynamics.
Lastly, Vernee Hutchinson (1887-1949) was an American writer and journalist who wrote extensively about social issues, particularly those affecting women and minority communities in the early 20th century.
While the name Vernee has deep historical roots, it has become less common in modern times, particularly in English-speaking countries. However, its unique and intriguing origins continue to make it an intriguing choice for those seeking a name with a rich cultural heritage.
People
Vernee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vernee 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
Vernee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vernee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 84 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vernee 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 4,080,409 US residents.
Is Vernee a common name?
We classify Vernee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 92 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vernee most popular?
The single biggest year for Vernee was 1979, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vernee is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Vernee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vernee 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.
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.