Meaning & origin
A reliable meaning for Vanilla isn’t established in our sources yet. Rather than guess, we show what is recorded: how the name is used, how often, and the names it’s connected to.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1898. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Vanilla through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 199
- 0 boys · 199 girls
- Most popular year
- 1919
- 15 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 1978. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 15 in 1919. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 156 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Vanilla, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Vela
“a dark-skinned beauty”
>99% girls
Adella
“of the nobility; serene; of good humor”
>99% girls
Vella
“a dark-skinned beauty”
>99% girls
Viola
“resembling the purplishblue flower”
>99% girls
Verona
“woman from Verona”
>99% girls
Vincenza
“conquerer; triumphant”
>99% girls
Viva
“white lady” · “one who is full of life; vibrant”
>99% girls
Leola
“one who is faithful; loyal” · “having the strength of a lion”
>99% girls