Efraim
Efraim was the 2579th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 51 babies. Its best year was 1972, when it ranked 1885th; the most babies were born in 2023 (65). Over the last ten years it has moved up 37 places. More babies were named Efraim in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Ephraim) fruitful · Hebrew
- Rank in 2025
- #2,579 boys, up 318 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 51boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 202365 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,851babies recorded
What does the name Efraim mean?
Efraim is a spelling of Ephraim, pronounced the same way, so it shares Ephraim's meaning and origin.
Ephraim is the Hebrew Efrayim (אֶפְרַיִם), the younger son of Joseph and ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel. In Genesis 41:52 Joseph explains the name by saying that God has made him fruitful in the land of his affliction, a play on the Hebrew verb for bearing fruit. DMNES glosses it 'fruitful; doubled fruit', and Wiktionary gives 'fruitful'. DMNES records it in 16th-century England and Finland.
אֶפְרַיִם (Biblical Hebrew, “fruitful”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Efrayim, Efraín, Efrem.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ephraim', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'אפרים' (Hebrew section), Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Hebrew Bible, Genesis 41:52, Hebrew text with JPS translation (via Sefaria), Sefaria
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Ephraim', DMNES, Durham University
Efraim popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,579 | 51 |
| 2020 | #2,897 | 41 |
| 2010 | #2,294 | 56 |
| 2000 | #3,172 | 27 |
| 1990 | #2,889 | 22 |
| 1980 | #2,864 | 16 |
| 1970 | #2,227 | 17 |
| 1960 | #2,350 | 13 |
| 1950 | #2,842 | 8 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | #3,952 | 6 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Efraim, counting every spelling?
Efraim is a spelling of Ephraim, a name family that ranked #828 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,579 for Efraim on its own. Together these spellings went to 282 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ephraim | 231 | #988 | 1,118 |
| Efraim | 51 | #2,579 | 301 |
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 Efraim?
51 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Efraim (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Efraim 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 165 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Efraim.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Efraim?
About 1,700 people born in the US named Efraim are alive today, with a median age of 18; half are between 9 and 36. That makes Efraim mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Efraim by state
How common Efraim was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Jersey (12.3×), New York (9.2×). In 49 states fewer than five boys 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 Efraim: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Efraim, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Efraim
What does Efraim mean?
Efraim is a spelling of Ephraim, which means “fruitful” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Efraim?
Efraim was the 2579th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 51 babies. Its best year was 1972, when it ranked 1885th; the most babies were born in 2023 (65). Over the last ten years it has moved up 37 places. More babies were named Efraim in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Efraim a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Efraim in the US.
Where is Efraim most popular?
In 2021–2025, Efraim was most common in New Jersey (0.43 per 1,000 boys), followed by New York and New York.