Vernon Wells
There are approximately 35 people named Vernon Wells living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 9,792,981 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Vernon with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Wells. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
35
1 in 9,792,981
Named Vernon
62K
Alive today
Named Wells
195K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 62K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1920
Average age: 64
Top Census group: White (65.4%)
Estimated bearers: 195K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #152
Per 100K: 56.79
Top ancestry: White (71.0%)
First name trend
Vernon: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Vernon. The peak year was 1920 with 3,199 births. The average person named Vernon today is 64 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vernon
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Vernon, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 65.4%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Vernon described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Vernon at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White65.4% · 37,109
- Black or African American26.5% · 15,044
- Two or more races2.8% · 1,617
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 1,120
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 1,032
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 852
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Wells surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Wells, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 71.0%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Wells described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Wells at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White71.0% · 120,508
- Black or African American19.7% · 33,386
- Two or more races4.4% · 7,544
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 5,760
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,435
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,117
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Vernon has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0182% of the US population, based on 62,242 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Vernon right now.
The surname Wells appears at a rate of 56.79 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0568%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 35 people with the full name Vernon Wells. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Vernon
Related
Other people with the surname Wells
FAQ
Vernon Wells: questions and answers
How many people are named Vernon Wells?
We estimate approximately 35 people in the United States share the full name Vernon Wells. That works out to about 1 in 9,792,981 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0182%) with the surname frequency (56.79 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Vernon Wells?
We classify Vernon Wells as "Very Rare". About 1 in 9,792,981 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Vernon a male or female name?
Vernon is predominantly male. Out of 148,252 total SSA registrations, 98.7% were male and 1.3% were female. See the full Vernon profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many Americans are named Vernon Wells?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.