2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Verdery
An occupational surname derived from the Old French word "verdier" meaning "gamekeeper" or "forester".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 150 Americans carry the last name Verdery. That puts it at #133,930 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,285,029 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Verdery surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
150
1 in 2,285,029
Census rank
#133,930
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
131
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 131 bearers of the surname Verdery in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 133930th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Verdery, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Verdery
The surname Verdery is believed to have originated in France, and it can be traced back to the medieval period. It is thought to derive from the Old French word "vert," which means "green," and likely referred to someone who lived near a verdant area or worked with plants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name is listed as "de Verdiere," which suggests it may have been associated with a specific place.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various medieval records and manuscripts, often with spellings such as "Verdere," "Verdier," or "Verdier." These variations likely reflect regional differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.
One notable individual with this surname was Sir John Verdery, who lived during the 14th century and served as the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, a group of coastal towns in southeastern England. He was instrumental in defending the English coast against French raids during the Hundred Years' War.
Another significant figure was Francois Verdery, a French botanist born in 1651, who made significant contributions to the study of plants and their classification. His work helped lay the foundation for modern botanical taxonomy.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Europe, with records of individuals named Verdery in Germany, the Netherlands, and various regions of France.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in North America dates back to the late 18th century, when Jean-Baptiste Verdery, a French settler, established a homestead in what is now Louisiana. His descendants went on to become prominent figures in the region's history and culture.
Throughout the centuries, the Verdery surname has been associated with various professions, including horticulture, agriculture, and military service, reflecting its possible origins and the varied paths taken by those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Verdery
Among Census respondents with the surname Verdery, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Verdery bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Verdery surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 110
- Two or more races7.6% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 6
- Black or African American2.3% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Verdery
Verdery appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,272 places
2020
#133,930
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+18 bearers (+15.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,271 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 11,272 places |
| 2020 | #133,930 | 131 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+15.9%) | Up 12,271 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Verdery surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #146,201 | #133,930 | 8.4% |
| Count | 113 | 131 | 15.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Verdery bearers went from 113 to 131 (+15.9% change). The surname moved up 12,271 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #133,930.
FAQ
Verdery surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Verdery?
Name Census estimates that about 150 living Americans carry the surname Verdery. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,285,029 residents.
How common is Verdery?
Verdery ranks #133,930 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 131 people with the surname Verdery. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (150), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Verdery.
Has Verdery become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Verdery went from 113 recorded bearers to 131. That is an increase of 18 (+15.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #133,930.
What does the Census say about the background of Verdery?
Among Census respondents with the surname Verdery, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (4.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Verdery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Verdery appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Two or More Races (7.6%), Hispanic (4.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Verdery (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Verdery mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Old French word "verdier" meaning "gamekeeper" or "forester". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Verdery (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Verdery?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Verdery at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.