Ernest
Masculine · “seriousness”
Ernest is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 302,499 boys against 1,855 girls since 1880. See Ernest as a girl name
Ernest and earnest are two different words and only one of them is a name. They share a Germanic root and diverged early: the adjective came into English through its own line and the name came in separately, as a Germanic personal name, and the spellings have stayed apart for as long as both have been written down.
How old is the name Ernest?
Ernest was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Ernest alive today was born around 1939, making them about 86 years old. About 117,000 people named Ernest are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ernest most popular?
Ernest peaked in 1885, reaching #21 nationally. Today it ranks #1038, 1,017 places below that high. See the whole 1885 chart.
Where it comes from
From Ernust to Ernest
The story of Ernest
The most remarkable man to carry it lost his ship and did not lose a man. His expedition was trapped in the ice of the Weddell Sea, the vessel was slowly crushed and sank, and twenty-eight men spent the better part of two years camped on floes and then on a barren island — from which he took five others eight hundred miles in a converted lifeboat to fetch help, crossed an unmapped mountain range on foot, and came back for the rest. Every one of them survived. It is the only Antarctic expedition of the era that failed completely at its purpose and is remembered as a triumph.
Meaning
seriousness, vigor
A Germanic element carrying a sense of determined seriousness. The related English adjective describes the quality; the name is the noun used as a name, which is a slightly different thing.
How the name formed
- Ernust
- Ernest
Related forms: Ernst · Ernest · Ernesto
Pronouncing Ernest
UR-nist
Two syllables with the stress at the front. It is said identically to the adjective it is not, which is the source of a very famous joke.
Nicknames for Ernest
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
- 19215,697 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #21reached in 1885
- Change vs 2022
- +14.5%213 in 2025, from 186
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.
Ernest in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ernst in German — same name
- Ernest in French — same name
- Ernesto in Spanish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Ernests among us
people named Ernest are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 8,019 born in 2025 was named Ernest
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Ernest has held the top-100 across 8 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Ernest is headed
Ernest should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Ernest beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Ernest in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It has been in continuous use across Europe for a very long time.
- The meaning is clear and unusually direct.
- Ernie sits inside it as a short form with a completely different warmth.
- Its peak was very early and the name carries that age plainly.
- It is a homophone of an adjective, which one famous play made unavoidable.
- The record holds girls as well, and the girl is much the smaller side.
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Ernest
Masculine · #1038 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Ernests are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 117,000 people named Ernest are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Ernest in 2025?
- Ernest ranks #1038 among US boy names in 2025, with 213 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Ernest?
- About 1 in every 8,019 US boys born in 2025 was named Ernest — 213 in all.
- Will my child share the name Ernest with classmates?
- Ernest will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Ernest
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Trenton#1038 · Blaise#1038 · Ulises#1038 · Ren#1038 · Brodie#1038 · Zavier#1034 · Kelvin#1034 · Carmine#1034
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ernest? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Ernest and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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