Earle
Masculine · “nobleman”
Earle is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 11,505 boys against 285 girls since 1880.
Earle is a rank rather than a name. The Old English eorl meant a nobleman, and it is the only English title that survived the Norman Conquest untranslated — the French brought counts, and England kept earls.
How old is the name Earle?
Earle was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Earle alive today was born around 1929, making them about 96 years old. About 2,800 people named Earle are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Earle most popular?
Earle peaked in 1894, reaching #231 nationally. See the whole 1894 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From eorl to Earle
The story of Earle
Eorl was a title, then a byname for someone who served in a noble household, then a surname. American families took it as a given name in the nineteenth century, when a set of rank-names — Earl, Duke, King, Baron — were all in modest use, none of them implying any actual claim. Earl rose sharply and Earle, the -e spelling, ran alongside it, peaking around 1918.
Meaning
nobleman, warrior
From the Old English eorl, 'nobleman' or 'warrior', related to the Old Norse jarl. After 1066 the Normans kept the English word for the rank while using 'countess' for the wife, which is why the two do not match to this day.
How the name formed
- eorl
- Earl
- Earle
Related forms: Earl · Jarl · Erle
Pronouncing Earle
URL
One syllable. Earl, Earle and Erle are all said identically; the e does no audible work.
Nicknames for Earle
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 1921331 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #231reached in 1894
- Change vs 2005
- +20.0%6 in 2014, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Earle in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Earl in English — spelling variant
- Jarl in Norse — related form
- Erle in English — spelling variant
Earles among us
people named Earle are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Earle has already lived its whole cycle: it rose, had its era, and has stepped off the charts. The fashion question is behind it — what lies ahead is the waiting room where revivals begin, once a name's first generation has grown distant enough for it to sound fresh again.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- The meaning is transparent and the word has a documented thousand-year history in English.
- One syllable, firm, and never mispronounced.
- It belongs to a coherent group of nineteenth-century American rank-names.
- Earl without the e is much commoner and will be assumed.
- It is a title as well as a name, which some people will hear first.
- It is strongly period-coded to the early twentieth century.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Earle to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Earle? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Earle
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Earles are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,800 people named Earle are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Earle in 2025?
- Earle is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Earle with classmates?
- Earle will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More E names
The most-given names starting with E, all years combined.
Edward#224 · Eric#273 · Ethan#24 · Eugene#943 · Elijah#7 · Ernest#1038 · Earl#2230 · Evan#153
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Earle? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Earle and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle