Vernona
A feminine name derived from French meaning "alder tree meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 74 living Americans carry the first name Vernona. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Vernona today is around 78 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vernona births was 1942 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vernona. 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 Vernona is about 78 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Vernonas were born before 1958.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Vernona. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
74
~ 1 in 4,631,815 Americans
Peak year
1942
17 babies that year
Average age
78
years old
1967 SSA rank
#7,818
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Vernona: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vernona from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 95 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vernona 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 Vernona 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 Vernona
The name Vernona originated in ancient Rome, derived from the Latin word "vernalis," meaning "of spring" or "vernal." It was a feminine form of the masculine name Vernalis, which was given to children born during the spring season. The name gained popularity among the Roman aristocracy and was often associated with fertility and renewal.
In the early days of Christianity, the name Vernona was sometimes given to girls born around the time of the vernal equinox or Easter, symbolizing the rebirth and resurrection celebrated during this period. The name can be found in some early Christian records and texts, although its usage was relatively limited.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Vernona dates back to the 4th century AD, when a Roman noblewoman named Vernona Valeria was mentioned in historical documents. She was known for her charitable works and support for the early Christian community.
In the Middle Ages, the name Vernona experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly in certain regions of Italy and France. During this time, it was often associated with the blooming of spring flowers and the renewal of life after the harsh winters.
Notable historical figures with the name Vernona include:
1. Vernona of Arles (c. 450 AD - 520 AD), a Gallo-Roman Christian martyr and saint venerated in parts of southern France.
2. Vernona Visconti (c. 1370 - 1438), an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts during the Renaissance period.
3. Vernona della Scala (c. 1495 - 1567), an Italian Renaissance poet and writer from the prestigious Della Scala family of Verona.
4. Vernona Borgia (c. 1530 - 1590), a member of the infamous Borgia family and a confidante of Pope Sixtus V.
5. Vernona Montesquieu (1689 - 1755), a French philosopher and writer who was a close friend of the Enlightenment thinker Montesquieu.
While the name Vernona has fallen out of widespread use in modern times, it remains a unique and historically significant name with roots in ancient Roman culture and early Christianity.
People
Vernona + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vernona 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
Vernona: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vernona?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 74 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vernona 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 4,631,815 US residents.
Is Vernona a common name?
We classify Vernona as "Very Rare". It ranks above 60.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 250 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vernona most popular?
The single biggest year for Vernona was 1942, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vernona is about 78 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Vernona a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Vernona 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.