Virden
A name derived from an English surname referring to a green meadow.
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Virden. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Virden today is around 92 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Virden births was 1928 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Virden. 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 Virden is about 92 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Virdens were born before 1944.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Virden. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1928
8 babies that year
Average age
92
years old
1934 SSA rank
#3,663
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Virden: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Virden from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 32 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Virden remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Virden 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 Virden 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 Virden
The given name Virden is believed to have originated in the Old English language, derived from the elements "vir" meaning "man" and "dun" meaning "hill" or "down." This suggests that the name may have been associated with a person who lived on or near a hill or elevated area. The name can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period in the early medieval era, roughly between the 5th and 11th centuries AD.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Virden can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Virdun" and "Vyrden," indicating its use among the Anglo-Saxon population at the time.
In the 12th century, a notable figure named Virden was mentioned in the chronicles of the Benedictine monastery at Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England. This individual, born around 1130, served as a monk and scribe within the monastic community, contributing to the preservation of historical records and religious texts.
During the 13th century, a knight named Sir Virden de Montfort, born in 1215, was recorded as a participant in the Barons' War against King Henry III. He fought alongside Simon de Montfort, a prominent leader of the rebellion, and played a role in the conflicts that shaped the evolution of English parliamentary governance.
In the realm of literature, the name Virden appears in the works of the celebrated English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, who lived from circa 1340 to 1400. One of Chaucer's minor characters in the Canterbury Tales bears the name Virden, though little is known about the inspiration behind this character's naming.
Another notable figure with the name Virden was William Virden, born in 1612 in Oxfordshire, England. He was a prominent Puritan minister and author who played a significant role in the religious and political turmoil of the English Civil War era. His writings and sermons advocated for religious reform and influenced the development of Puritan theology.
While the name Virden has not been as widely documented or popularized as some other given names throughout history, its roots can be traced back to the Old English language and the Anglo-Saxon period. The name's association with elements related to hills or elevated areas, as well as its appearances in historical records and literary works, provide insights into its cultural and linguistic origins.
People
Virden + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Virden 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
Virden: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Virden?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Virden 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Virden a common name?
We classify Virden as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 48 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Virden most popular?
The single biggest year for Virden was 1928, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Virden is about 92 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 Virden in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Virden a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Virden 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.
Is Virden still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Virden 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 Virden 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 are named Virden?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.