The first name Laverne
A unisex name meaning “the green”, “the alder (tree place)”.
2 syllables Unisex
Meaning and origin
Laverne means “the green”, “the alder (tree place)”.
19th-century invention, possibly from the Californian town La Verne, named in the belief that it means "the green" in French. Laverne is a genuine French surname, from Gaulish la verne "the alder (tree place)" but - as in the case of Leroy - there is no apparent reason to turn it into an American given name.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
Laverne last appeared in the official list in 1997, given to 5 girls.
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Laverne with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Laverne at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 9 girls born in the United States were named Laverne, the 10,542nd most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1924, when 1,383 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Famous people named Laverne
6 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Laverne CoxAmerican actress and LGBT advocate (born 1972)
- Angie StoneAmerican singer and actress (1961–2025)
- L. Scott CaldwellAmerican actress, born 1950
- TrinaAmerican rapper, born 1974
- Harry AndersonAmerican actor and magician (1952–2018)
- Kay StarrAmerican singer (1922–2016)
Questions
- What does the name Laverne mean?
- Laverne means “the green”, “the alder (tree place)”.
- How popular is the name Laverne?
- In 1997, 5 girls born in England and Wales were named Laverne, ranking 2,738th.
- Is Laverne a boy's or a girl's name?
- Both. Of the 56,124 US babies named Laverne since 1880, 76% were girls and 24% boys.
- When was Laverne most popular?
- 1924 in the United States, when 1,383 babies were named Laverne, its highest rank at 169th.