Vernisha
An English feminine name of uncertain origin, perhaps from the French "verne" meaning alder tree.
Name Census estimates that about 318 living Americans carry the first name Vernisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Vernisha today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vernisha births was 1994 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vernisha. 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
318
~ 1 in 1,077,844 Americans
Peak year
1994
23 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2005 SSA rank
#16,350
Tracked since 1973
Census
Vernisha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 283 people with the first name Vernisha, which placed it at #30,644 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#30,644
National first-name rank
People counted
283
283 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
94.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vernisha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vernisha is Black at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and White (0.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Vernisha described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Vernisha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.3% · 267
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 10
- White0.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2
- Two or more races0.7% · 2
Popularity
Vernisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vernisha from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 141 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vernisha 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 Vernisha during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vernishas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Vernisha
The name Vernisha has its origins in the Sanskrit language, tracing back to ancient India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "varna," which means "color" or "caste," and the suffix "-isha," which denotes a master or lord. The name can be interpreted to mean "the lord of colors" or "the master of colors."
In Hindu mythology, the concept of "varna" plays a significant role in the caste system and the classification of individuals based on their social status and occupation. The name Vernisha may have been associated with individuals involved in artistic or creative pursuits, particularly those related to dyeing, painting, or other color-related crafts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vernisha can be found in ancient Sanskrit texts from the 5th century BCE. It is mentioned in the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics, as the name of a minor character. However, the name gained more prominence during the Gupta Empire (320-550 CE), which was known for its flourishing arts and culture.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Vernisha. In the 8th century CE, Vernisha Acharya was a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet from the Indian subcontinent. She is credited with authoring several works on grammar, poetry, and philosophy.
During the Mughal Empire (1526-1857), Vernisha Begum was a prominent courtier and patron of the arts. She commissioned several architectural marvels, including the Vernisha Mahal, a stunning palace known for its intricate designs and vibrant colors.
In the 19th century, Vernisha Devi was a celebrated Indian painter and artist who specialized in miniature paintings and traditional art forms. Her works adorned the walls of many royal palaces and are now preserved in various museums around the world.
Another notable figure was Vernisha Kaur, a Sikh warrior and leader from the 18th century. She played a crucial role in the defense of the Sikh Empire against invading forces and is remembered for her bravery and strategic acumen.
Lastly, Vernisha Patel was a renowned Indian classical dancer and choreographer in the 20th century. She dedicated her life to preserving and promoting the traditional dance forms of India, earning numerous accolades and awards for her contributions to the arts.
People
Vernisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vernisha 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
Vernisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vernisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 318 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vernisha 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 1,077,844 US residents.
Is Vernisha a common name?
We classify Vernisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 333 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vernisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Vernisha was 1994, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vernisha is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Vernisha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 283 people with the name Vernisha, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,644 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Vernisha in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Vernisha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Vernisha leans strongly female. 287 people counted with this name were female (99.0%), compared with 3 male bearers (1.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Vernisha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vernisha is Black at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and White (0.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Vernisha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Vernisha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (267 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Vernisha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vernisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vernisha 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 Vernisha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vernisha 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 Vernisha 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.
How many Americans are named Vernisha?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.