Given name & surname
Verner
“of the defending army”
In Scandinavian use, Verner carries the interpretation “of the defending army.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Scandinavian use, Verner carries the interpretation “of the defending army.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Scandinavian.
How it developed
In Scandinavian use, Verner is used as a spelling variant of Werner.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Verner through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,134
- 1,963 boys · 171 girls
- Most popular year
- 1917
- 79 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 92% boys.
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2000. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 70 in 1917. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 570 as a first name in 2020; 2,605 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Verner’s family of names
In Swedish usage, Verner has a feminine form in Verna. Verner has an alternative spelling in Werner. Verner has a related form in Werner.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Verner has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Old Norse roots to each of them.
4 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Verner
- Verner PantonDanish furniture designer (1926–1998)
- Verner WeckmanOlympic wrestler (1882-1968)
- Verner JärvinenFinnish athletics competitor (1870–1941)
- Verner LičkaCzech soccer player and soccer coachborn 1954
- Verner BlaudzunDanish cyclistborn 1946
- Verner EklöfFinnish football player, bandy player, Nordic combined skier and football manager (1897-1955)
- Verner E. SuomiAmerican meteorologist (1915–1995)
- Verner LehtimäkiFinnish soldier (1890–1938)
- Verner ClargesBritish actor1846–1911
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Verner, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Arne
“resembling an eagle”
>99% boys
Thurman
“protected by Thor”
>99% boys
Lambert
“the light of the land”
>99% boys
Gustave
“of the staff of the gods”
>99% boys
Nels
“of the victorious people”
>99% boys
Alvis
“one who is wise”
>99% boys
Howard
“army guardian” · “the guardian of the home”
>99% boys
Verle
“one who is faithful”
77% boys · 23% girls