Earnest
Earnest was the 4164th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 25 babies. Its best year was 1900, when it ranked 106th; the most babies were born in 1926 (1,149). Over the last ten years it has moved down 778 places. More babies were named Earnest in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Ernest) vigor; seriousness · German, Germanic
- Rank in 2025
- #4,164 boys, down 416 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 25boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19261,149 babies
- Total since 1880
- 59,115babies recorded
What does the name Earnest mean?
Earnest is a spelling of Ernest, pronounced the same way, so it shares Ernest's meaning and origin.
Ernest comes from Ernst, a medieval German royal name, from Old High German ernust, which DMNES glosses 'serious, severe, grave' and Wiktionary 'vigor, strife'. It is related to English earnest. Wiktionary notes it was borrowed into English in the 18th century, with the Hanoverian kings; Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) puns on it. It was popular in the US in the late 19th century.
ernust (Old High German, “seriousness; vigor”)
How sure is this? Well established. DMNES and Wiktionary gloss the Old High German word slightly differently.
Related names: Ernst, Ernie, Ernesto, Earnest.
See also: Germanic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Ernest', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ernest', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Earnest popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 726 since 1898.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,164 | 25 |
| 2020 | #3,748 | 28 |
| 2010 | #3,091 | 37 |
| 2000 | #1,687 | 68 |
| 1990 | #849 | 145 |
| 1980 | #541 | 251 |
| 1970 | #417 | 383 |
| 1960 | #320 | 592 |
| 1950 | #213 | 888 |
| 1940 | #184 | 797 |
| 1930 | #153 | 991 |
| 1920 | #140 | 1,092 |
| 1910 | #128 | 255 |
| 1900 | #106 | 223 |
| 1890 | #120 | 122 |
| 1880 | #154 | 88 |
How popular is Earnest, counting every spelling?
Earnest is a spelling of Ernest, a name family that ranked #931 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #4,164 for Earnest on its own. Together these spellings went to 238 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ernest | 213 | #1,040 | 1,001 |
| Earnest | 25 | #4,164 | 111 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Earnest?
25 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Earnest (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Earnest born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 337 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Earnest.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Earnest?
About 19,800 people born in the US named Earnest are alive today, with a median age of 66; half are between 51 and 76. That makes Earnest a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Earnest: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Earnest, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Earnest
What does Earnest mean?
Earnest is a spelling of Ernest, which means “vigor; seriousness” (German, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Earnest?
Earnest was the 4164th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 25 babies. Its best year was 1900, when it ranked 106th; the most babies were born in 1926 (1,149). Over the last ten years it has moved down 778 places. More babies were named Earnest in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Earnest a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Earnest in the US.