Verba

♀ Girl

How to Pronounce Verba

Pronounced VUR-bah /ˈvɜːrbə/Medium

Meaning: Verba is a rare early-1900s American girl's name whose surface reads as the Latin 'verba', the plural of 'verbum', meaning 'words'. In practice it more likely arose as a home-grown sister-form of Verna, a fashionable name of the same years, reshaped with the -ba ending. The exact route is not recorded, so the Latin reading and the Verna kinship are both offered with care.Low

In 30 seconds: Verba is a rare American girl's name of the early nineteen-hundreds, echoing the Latin word for 'words' and the popular name Verna. It never spread far (said VUR-bah).

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Origin MediumLatin, English

MeaningVerba is a rare early-1900s American girl's name whose surface reads as the Latin 'verba', the plural of 'verbum', meaning 'words'. In practice it more likely arose as a home-grown sister-form of Verna, a fashionable name of the same years, reshaped with the -ba ending. The exact route is not recorded, so the Latin reading and the Verna kinship are both offered with care.

U.S. rank (1960)#7270 ↘ Falling

1960 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1927

Total births (all-time)≈ 603

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Verba surfaces in United States birth records around the turn of the twentieth century, a coinage in the mold of Verna, Verda and Vera, a family of Latin-flavored girls' names then in vogue. Its plainest reading is the Latin verba, 'words', though no record ties the babies to that meaning.

Verba was never common. Even at its quiet crest in the late nineteen-twenties only a few dozen girls a year received it, and by the early nineteen-sixties it had all but vanished from the rolls. A girl named Verba at its peak would be past a hundred today.

Did you know? Verba looks like the Latin 'verba', meaning 'words', though most girls given it were probably meant as a twist on the then-common Verna.

Overall data confidence 50%

References - Verba / Verna — Latin 'verba' words; likely Verna-family coinage; origin partly uncertain

Variations

VernaVerdaVerlaVera

Nicknames

VeeVerb

Famous Bearers

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If you like Verba…

Verna— the popular sister name Verba echoes

Vera— a Latin-rooted cousin of the same era

Verda— a near-identical vintage coinage

Velma— another rare V- girl's name of the period

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Verba mean?

Verba most likely reflects the Latin 'verba', meaning 'words', though it was probably used as a variant of Verna.

How do you pronounce Verba?

It's said VUR-bah /ˈvɜːrbə/, two syllables.

Is Verba a boy or girl name?

Verba is a girl's name.

Is Verba a popular name?

No, Verba was always rare, reaching only a few dozen girls a year at a quiet peak in the late nineteen-twenties before fading.