Verlan
Verlan is a type of argot in the French language, featuring inversion of syllables in a word, and is common in slang and youth language. It rests on a long French tradition of transposing syllables of individual words to create slang words. The word verlan itself is an example of verlan. It is derived from inverting the sounds of the syllables in l'envers.
Meaning & Origin of Verlan
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Verlan is a type of argot in the French language, featuring inversion of syllables in a word, and is common in slang and youth language. It rests on a long French tradition of transposing syllables of individual words to create slang words. The word verlan itself is an example of verlan. It is derived from inverting the sounds of the syllables in l'envers.
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The Story of Verlan
Verlan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1916, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1927, when 16 Verlans were born — ranking #2,034 that year. As of 2026, Verlan ranks #4,136 for baby boys with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 319 Verlans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Verlan
Phonetically similar names — useful when Verlan is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Verlan
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About the name Verlan
Verlan is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1916 and has accumulated 319 births in the dataset. Verlan's peak popularity came in 1927 when it ranked #2,034. Use the chart and map above to compare Verlan's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1927 →
- Names of the 1920s →
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- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.