Ebony
Ebony was the 5452nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 23 babies. Its best year was 1982, when it ranked 132nd with 2,279 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,413 places. More babies were named Ebony in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning ebony, the black wood · English, Greek, Egyptian
Say it EB-uh-nee /ˈɛbəni/
- Rank in 2025
- #5,452 girls, down 877 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 23girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19822,279 babies
- Total since 1880
- 39,453babies recorded
What does the name Ebony mean?
Ebony is an English word name, from the hard black wood. Wiktionary traces the word through Latin and Greek ebenos back to the ancient Egyptian hbnj, and dates the first use of the name to African American families in the 1970s. Wikipedia adds that it has been particularly popular among Black Americans, given in reference to the color as well as the wood. It was most popular in the US in the early 1980s.
ἔβενος (Ancient Greek, “ebony”)hbnj (Ancient Egyptian, “ebony”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Pronunciation: IPA from the live Wiktionary entry for ebony.
See also: English names, names that mean tree, names that mean a color.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ebony', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'ebony', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Ebony (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Ebony popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 455 since 1971.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,452 | 23 |
| 2020 | #4,575 | 29 |
| 2010 | #1,747 | 119 |
| 2000 | #553 | 474 |
| 1990 | #186 | 1,567 |
| 1980 | #175 | 1,581 |
| 1970 | #1,686 | 55 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | #4,895 | 6 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Ebony, counting every spelling?
Ebony is the most common spelling of a name family that had 23 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 23 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ebony | 23 | #5,452 | 126 |
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 Ebony?
23 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Ebony (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Ebony 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 363 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Ebony.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Ebony?
About 37,800 people born in the US named Ebony are alive today, with a median age of 40; half are between 34 and 44. That makes Ebony mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Ebony by state
How common Ebony was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 50 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Ebony: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Ebony, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Ebony
What does Ebony mean?
Ebony means “ebony, the black wood” (English, Greek, Egyptian origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Ebony?
Ebony was the 5452nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 23 babies. Its best year was 1982, when it ranked 132nd with 2,279 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 2,413 places. More babies were named Ebony in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Ebony a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Ebony in the US.
Where is Ebony most popular?
In 2021–2025, Ebony was most common in Texas (0.01 per 1,000 girls).