Ernest
Ernest was the 1040th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 213 babies. Its best year was 1885, when it ranked 21st; the most babies were born in 1921 (5,697). Over the last ten years it has moved down 84 places. More babies were named Ernest in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning vigor; seriousness · German, Germanic
Say it UR-nist /ˈɝnɪst/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,040 boys, down 31 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 213boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19215,697 babies
- Total since 1880
- 304,354babies recorded
What does the name Ernest mean?
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)
Nicknames for Ernest
The usual nicknames for Ernest are Ernie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Ernest in the last five years, 9 were named Ernie, against 14 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ernie | Traditional | #5,270 | 92 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Ernests go by each one.
Ernest popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,855 since 1886.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,040 | 213 |
| 2020 | #1,009 | 208 |
| 2010 | #926 | 218 |
| 2000 | #514 | 440 |
| 1990 | #283 | 920 |
| 1980 | #180 | 1,370 |
| 1970 | #143 | 2,304 |
| 1960 | #120 | 3,190 |
| 1950 | #81 | 4,308 |
| 1940 | #58 | 3,698 |
| 1930 | #43 | 4,787 |
| 1920 | #37 | 5,566 |
| 1910 | #31 | 1,167 |
| 1900 | #30 | 1,012 |
| 1890 | #22 | 774 |
| 1880 | #26 | 615 |
How popular is Ernest, counting every spelling?
Ernest is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #931 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,040 for Ernest 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 Ernest?
213 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Ernest (0.06 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Ernest 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 39 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Ernest.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Ernest?
About 108,600 people born in the US named Ernest are alive today, with a median age of 64; half are between 50 and 75. That makes Ernest 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.
Ernest by state
How common Ernest was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Minnesota (2.7×), Indiana (2.3×), Wisconsin (1.8×). In 24 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 Ernest: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Ernest, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Ernest · Sibling names for Ernest
Questions about the name Ernest
What does Ernest mean?
Ernest means “vigor; seriousness” (German, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Ernest?
Ernest was the 1040th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 213 babies. Its best year was 1885, when it ranked 21st; the most babies were born in 1921 (5,697). Over the last ten years it has moved down 84 places. More babies were named Ernest in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Ernest a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Ernest in the US.
Where is Ernest most popular?
In 2021–2025, Ernest was most common in Minnesota (0.31 per 1,000 boys), followed by Indiana and Wisconsin.