It’s a nostalgia-rich choice from the small screen with a surprisingly current meaning.
It might be the heat of summer, but our Baby Name of the Day is Laverne.
Most recently, Laverne was a nurse on Scrubs, a tough cookie with serious values and a passion for soap operas.
But the Laverne that probably springs to mind first is Laverne De Fazio, the Brooklyn-born roommate to Shirley on the eponymous sitcom Laverne & Shirley, a megahit spin-off of megahit Happy Days. The roomies and BFFs started out working in a Milwaukee brewery. The show aired from the late 70s into the early 80s but hearkened back to late 1950s and early 60s, hence Laverne’s signature poodle skirts. The milk’n'Pepsi mocktail and monogrammed L gracing her sweaters are etched in pop culture history.
You won’t be surprised to hear that Laverne is not presently in the US Top 1000, but you might blink when you learn that Laverne regularly appeared in the US rankings, peaking at a high of #161 for girls in 1924. Even less expected? Laverne rose to #276 in 1921 – for boys.
As it happens, Laverne started out as a surname. You’ll find Lavergne on the map in France, derived from the element vern – alder. Others suggest that Laverne comes from the Latin vernus – spring, as in the Vernal Equinox.
The name’s surname status and links to the natural world suggest that, if not for the sitcom, this name could be rediscovered anew by modern parents. Plus, modern day La Vergne is known for cognac and oysters – that’s at least as appealing as Savannah’s southern charm or Dakota’s go-west bravado.
There’s also minor Roman goddess Laverna, but she had nothing to do with the season. Laverna kept company with charlatans and thieves. Offerings to Laverna were made with the left hand. There’s not much written about this sinister figure, except that her altar inspired the name of a gate in the Servian Wall.
While it’s a stretch, you might also encounter La Verna in a very different context – as the name of an isolated Tuscan mountain by the name was a retreat site for St. Francis of Assisi.
Given the popularity of Laverne, it’s surprisingly there aren’t more in the record, but we do find a few:
- You might not recognize Laverne Harding’s name, but you probably know her work. In the 1930s, she drew characters like Woody Woodpecker and Yogi Bear;
- Laverne Fator came from a family of jockeys, was a regular at the Kentucky Derby and an early inductee into the equestrian Hall of Fame;
- Maybe the most famous was LaVerne Andrews, big sister to Maxene and Patty. Together, the three formed signing sensation The Andrews Sisters. It’s hard to imagine a World War II retrospective without the trio’s rendition of the “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.”
Laverne was a perfectly plausible choice for the sitcom character. Today, she’s tainted not only by that dated association, but the general fall from favor of all La- names, like Latoya and company. Despite the rise of -ver names like Avery, Oliver, River and Everett, you won’t find a single -vern name in the current Top 1000 – should you meet a Vernon or a Verna in an elementary school, he or she is probably teaching.
It’s hard to imagine a parent choosing this name for a daughter today, but there’s no denying that Laverne was once almost astonishingly common.
I think I prefer Laverna to Laverne. I find Laverne even more unappealing now that I know it was a surname and also a male name. At least Laverna was a goddess.
Verrry dated to me, and I don’t care for its sound. But if Sylvia and Vera can come back, then why not Laverne?
See, the difference is that Sylvia is a pretty name and Laverne just isn’t.
I’ve always preferred Laverne for a boy and Laverna for a girl. When I was little I thought Laverne and Shirley were men.
I recently met a little girl named Alverna. We called her Verna (mostly because we didn’t understand her when she spoke so we missed the first syllable haha). It fit the little one well, although I wouldn’t expect the same for Laverne.
Laverne makes me think of a rather “rustic” family who farmed near my grandparents. My Dad has some legendary stories about their mischief and criminal escapades. Anyways, most of the kids had “vernus” names:
Vernon, M
LaVerl, M
Lavern, M
LaVonne, F
Verill, M
Verna, F
Vernice, F
Verndon, M
Vergil, M
Lavette, F
I believe there were more children… but those are the only ones listed in the 1930′s census.
I wasn’t really introduced to this name before I started watching Scrubs. Laverne’s a great character, but one that really inspires namesakes.
So, wasn’t Laverne on Empty Nest? Park Overall, if I’m not mistaken. That’s the first Laverne I think of. I’m sorry, but to me, Laverne and bumpkin accent go hand in hand. I could never use this name. Interestingly, I find it similar to Leona, which goes hand in hand with Brooklynese. I’m not a big fan of L names in particular, but I find Laverne helplessly mired in the past…and the south.
http://www.emptynestonline.net/laverne.html
Thanks again for doing this name! I know 3 people with this name, a woman in her 80′s, a man in his 40′s and another woman in her early 20′s. The surprisingly all go by Laverne (with the oldest capitalizing the V). I’ve always been surprised by how common and easy this name sounds and yet how few people would consider it for their kids. Thanks again for doing this name!
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