Girl's name
Vera
Say it VEER-uh
Russian origin faith
2 syllables
Where Vera is loved, common and rare
Loved in Sweden. Common across Spain, the Netherlands, Norway and two more places. Rare in Switzerland, Italy, four German cities and eight more places.
1 in 4,966 girls born in England and Wales in 2025
Sweden 1stCatalonia 38thThe Netherlands 74th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 21 of the 40 official lists, among them Sweden (1st), Catalonia (38th) and the Netherlands (74th).
Show all 21 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 1st 2025 | 651 | about 1 in 62 |
| Spain | 32nd 2024 | 883 | rank only |
| Catalonia region | 38th 2025 | 109 | 1 in 177 |
| The Netherlands | 74th 2025 | 175 | about 1 in 349 |
| Norway | 81st 2025 | 77 | 1 in 283 |
| Switzerland | 128th 2025 | 55 | 1 in 618 |
| Italy | 138th 2024 | 180 | 1 in 995 |
| Munich city | 177th 2025 | 7 | about 1 in 599 |
| Austria | 200th 2025 | 31 | 1 in 1,152 |
| Ontario province | 209th 2024 | 57 | about 1 in 956 |
| British Columbia province | 240th 2023 | 13 | about 1 in 920 |
| Berlin city | 257th 2023 | 12 | about 1 in 1,209 |
| Poland | 259th 2025 | 19 | 1 in 6,305 |
| Quebec province | 412th 2025 | 12 | about 1 in 2,167 |
| Cologne city as Věra | 630th 2023 | 1 | about 1 in 6,143 |
| Ireland | 718th 2025 | 4 | 1 in 5,282 |
| England and Wales | 719th 2025 | 51 | 1 in 4,966 |
| France | 1480th 2025 | 25 | 1 in 11,472 |
| Moscow city Вера | 18th 2025 | 786 | rank only |
| Denmark | 26th 2025 | 216 | rank only |
| Bonn city | 173rd 2025 | 3 | about 1 in 1,005 |
Rare, below the listed names: Scotland, Northern Ireland, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Leipzig, Rostock, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Moscow publishes names in Cyrillic. The Latin spelling shown is our transliteration; the published form is shown beside it.
Sources: Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística) (Spain); Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya) (Catalonia); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Statistics Norway (SSB) (Norway); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy); Landeshauptstadt München, Statistisches Amt (opendata.muenchen.de) (Munich); Statistik Austria (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1) (Austria); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji, rejestr PESEL (dane.gov.pl) (Poland); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Stadt Köln, Standesamt (offenedaten-koeln.de) (Cologne); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Moscow Civil Registry Office (ZAGS), data.mos.ru (Moscow); Statistics Denmark (DST) (Denmark); Bundesstadt Bonn, Standesamt (opendata.bonn.de) (Bonn). How we count, and every source
About the name
Vera was borrowed in the nineteenth century from the Russian virtue name Véra, 'faith'. By folk etymology it has also been explained as Latin vera, 'true'.
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Two syllables, VEER-uh, give it a short, strong sound. Věra is an accented spelling, and Veera, Wera, Vira and Viera are forms used in other languages.
Vera is the top girls' name in Sweden and is well used in Denmark and Spain, while in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec it ranks much lower. In the Ontario and British Columbia records it was at its height at the very start, and the median bearer was born in 1944. Today it is rising in eight places while falling in only two.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- VEER-uh, 2 syllables
- Meaning
faith
- Origin
- Russian
- Other spellings
- Veera
- Wera
- Vira
- Viera
- Xavera
- Wiera
- Vjera
Counted together here: Věra.
Etymology
Borrowed in the nineteenth century from the Russian virtue name Ве́ра (Véra, “faith”). By folk etymology it has also been explained as Latin vera (“true”).
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 8 of 17 regions, falling in 2.
Show the yearsShow less
Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 955 | 949 | 936 | 864 | 821 | 634 | 729 | 706 | 722 | 719 |
| Scotland | 585 | 809 | 650 | 792 | 531 | 630 | 790 | |||
| Ontario | 245 | 211 | 212 | 171 | 215 | 167 | 164 | 207 | 209 | |
| British Columbia | 263 | 313 | 283 | 375 | 230 | 276 | 264 | 240 | ||
| Quebec | 915 | 662 | 913 | 575 | 534 | 652 | 412 | |||
| France | 1716 | 2024 | 2516 | 1995 | 2508 | 1957 | 2504 | 2420 | 1292 | 1480 |
| The Netherlands | 49 | 55 | 43 | 55 | 65 | 58 | 58 | 77 | 74 | |
| Austria | 202 | 226 | 190 | 248 | 262 | 254 | 179 | 191 | 200 | 200 |
| Switzerland | 231 | 248 | 275 | 218 | 319 | 188 | 287 | 173 | 172 | 128 |
| Berlin | 266 | 379 | 550 | 298 | 353 | 275 | 426 | 257 | ||
| Munich | 203 | 158 | 136 | 124 | 172 | 135 | 151 | 177 | ||
| Cologne | 213 | 345 | 349 | 332 | 320 | 266 | 643 | 630 | ||
| Bonn | 220 | 222 | 168 | 371 | 237 | 264 | 392 | 236 | 362 | 173 |
| Rostock | 202 | 199 | 197 | 174 | ||||||
| Norway | 156 | 144 | 166 | 166 | 146 | 125 | 135 | 116 | 105 | 81 |
| Sweden | 21 | 18 | 14 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Denmark | 46 | 35 | 34 | 31 | 26 | |||||
| Iceland | 230 | 83 | ||||||||
| Spain | 28 | 26 | 29 | 36 | 33 | 27 | 28 | 37 | 32 | |
| Catalonia | 37 | 30 | 38 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 31 | 43 | 35 | 38 |
| Italy | 156 | 162 | 163 | 131 | 139 | 136 | 132 | 139 | 138 | |
| Poland | 345 | 449 | 419 | 408 | 307 | 281 | 346 | 435 | 259 | |
| Slovenia | 237 | |||||||||
| Moscow | 23 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 18 |
England and Wales, 1997 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 719 | 51 | 20.1 |
| 2024 | 722 | 52 | 20.2 |
| 2023 | 706 | 51 | 19.9 |
| 2022 | 729 | 50 | 19.0 |
| 2021 | 634 | 61 | 22.3 |
| 2020 | 821 | 44 | 16.4 |
| 2019 | 864 | 42 | 15.0 |
| 2018 | 936 | 39 | 13.5 |
| 2017 | 949 | 39 | 13.0 |
| 2016 | 955 | 38 | 12.4 |
| 2015 | 1139 | 30 | 9.7 |
| 2014 | 1367 | 23 | 7.5 |
| 2013 | 1537 | 20 | 6.5 |
| 2012 | 1428 | 22 | 6.8 |
| 2011 | 2275 | 11 | 3.4 |
| 2010 | 1180 | 27 | 8.4 |
| 2009 | 1411 | 20 | 6.4 |
| 2008 | 2022 | 12 | 3.8 |
| 2007 | 2085 | 11 | 3.6 |
| 2006 | 1748 | 13 | 4.3 |
| 2005 | 1796 | 12 | 4.2 |
| 2004 | 2278 | 8 | 2.8 |
| 2003 | 2727 | 6 | 2.2 |
| 2002 | 1530 | 12 | 4.5 |
| 2001 | 2466 | 6 | 2.2 |
| 2000 | 1995 | 8 | 2.9 |
| 1999 | 3225 | 4 | 1.4 |
| 1997 | 2411 | 6 | 2.0 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Vera in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 1944. First recorded in 1925. Her peak year there: 1925, at 594.6 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Vera per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 1925 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Vera
1 in 1,243 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Vera.
1 in 1,457 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Vera.
1 in 2,347 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Vera.
1 in 3,521 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Vera.
1 in 2,347 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Vera.
1 in 2,556 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Vera.
1 in 11,012 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Vera.
1 in 5,282 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Vera.
1 in 911 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Vera.
1 in 1,243 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Vera.
Middle names for Vera
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Vera Grace
2-1 beats · initials VG
Changes the beat after Vera: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Vera Olivia
2-4 beats · initials VO · Vera slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Vera: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Vera slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Vera Sophia
2-3 beats · initials VS
Changes the beat after Vera: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Vera Maria
2-3 beats · initials VM
Changes the beat after Vera: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Vera Rose
2-1 beats · initials VR
Changes the beat after Vera: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Vera Emily
2-3 beats · initials VE · Vera slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Vera: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Vera slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Vera Julia
2-3 beats · initials VJ
Changes the beat after Vera: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Vera Miriam
2-3 beats · initials VM
Changes the beat after Vera: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Vera
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 1,243 in Ireland
90% alike: moves with Vera across countries and decades.
1 in 334 in England and Wales
88% alike: moves with Vera across countries and decades.
1 in 754 in Ireland
88% alike: moves with Vera across countries and decades.
1 in 898 in England and Wales
88% alike: moves with Vera across countries and decades.
1 in 173 in Northern Ireland
88% alike: moves with Vera across countries and decades.
1 in 491 in Ireland
88% alike: moves with Vera across countries and decades.
1 in 2,347 in Ireland
87% alike: moves with Vera across countries and decades.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
87% alike: moves with Vera across countries and decades.
Famous people named Vera
Vera Farmiga, Vera Rubin, Vera Mukhina, Vera Lynn, Vera Zvonareva, Věra Čáslavská, Vera Menchik and Vera Wang.
Show all 8Show less
-
American actress (born 1973)
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American astronomer and physicist (1928-2016)
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Soviet sculptor (1889-1953)
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British singer (1917–2020)
-
Russian tennis player born 1984
-
Czechoslovak sports official, artistic gymnast and coach (1942–2016)
-
Czech chess player (1906–1944)
-
American fashion designer (born 1939) born 1949
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Vera
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Vera?
Her best rank is No. 1 in Sweden in 2025, about 1 in 62 girls. She is in the published lists of 21 of our 40 regions.
What does Vera mean?
Wiktionary glosses Vera as "faith".
How do you pronounce Vera?
VEER-uh, with 2 syllables.
Is Vera getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 8 of 17 regions, falling in 2.
Which sister names go with Vera?
The deck's top five sisters for Vera: Ruth, Ida, Gloria, June and Irene. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.