Vernon

“Place of alder trees” — Gaulish origin

Boy's name · #1387 in the US (2025) · Heirloom

Vernon is an heirloom: its strongest era came around 1919, when it ranked #65. It has thinned since but never left the records — about 146,000 boys since 1880, ranked #1387 today. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. In Minnesota and Wisconsin it runs about 3× its national rate. Vernon's short forms are Vern and Vernie.

Around the world: about 1 in 18,000 boys in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 11 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Vernons

Vernon L. Smith — American economist
Vernon Norwood — American sprinter
Vernon Duke — American composer (1903-1969)
Vernon A. Walters — United States general (1917–2002)
Vernon De Marco — Slovak-Argentine association football player

In stories & tradition

Vernon Dursley — Harry Potter · Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Vernon Schillinger — Oz
Vernon Tomlin — Coronation Street

What Vernons become

Among 595 notable people named Vernon:

Sports figures appear 1.38× more often than among typical names — e.g. Vernon Norwood, American sprinter.

Similar names: Lloyd · Vedant · Milton · Don · Norman · Eldon

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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