Given name & surname
Vernon
“from the alder-tree grove”
Vernon is used as a given name and a surname. One French interpretation is “from the alder-tree grove.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One French interpretation is “from the alder-tree grove.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is French.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Vernon through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 148,389
- 146,413 boys · 1,976 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 3,199 babies
- 2025
- 133
- #1,387 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +14%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 133 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,387 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 13.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 3,144 in 1920. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (11). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 56,780 as a first name in 2020; 16,596 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.
Vernon’s family of names
In English usage, Vernon has a diminutive in Vern. Vernon has a feminine form in Verna. Vernon has a related form in Verne.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 13
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Verndiminutive · English
- Verniediminutive · English
- Vernusvariant
- Vernayvariant
- Verneyvariant
- Vernenvariant
- Verneevariant
- Vernevariant
Show 5 moreShow fewer
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Vernon
- Vernon L. SmithAmerican economistborn 1927
- David KoreshAmerican religious sect leader of Branch Davidians (1959-1993)
- Eddie RickenbackerUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient (1890–1973)
- Vernon NorwoodAmerican sprinterborn 1992
- Vernon DukeAmerican composer (1903-1969)
- Vernon De MarcoSlovak-Argentine association football playerborn 1992
- Vernon ReidAmerican fusion and crossover guitarist (born 1958)
- Vernon A. WaltersUnited States general (1917–2002)
- Vernon WellsAustralian actorborn 1945
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Vernon, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Elwood
“from the nobleman's forest; from the old forest”
>99% boys
Wiley
“of the willows” · “one who is crafty; from the meadow by the water”
88% boys · 12% girls
Harvey
“one who is ready for battle” · “a strong man”
98% boys · 2% girls
Francis
“a man from France; one who is free”
88% boys · 12% girls
Leroy
“the king”
>99% boys
Woodrow
“from the row of houses near the forest”
>99% boys
Delmar
“a man of the sea”
>99% boys
Frank
“a man from France; one who is free”
>99% boys