Ernest
From the Germanic name Ernust, built on a word meaning 'serious' or 'struggle'. It reached England with the Hanoverian royal family in the eighteenth century.
Ernest in 2025
Ernest was given to 213 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 2,122nd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 15,565 babies born.
The history of Ernest
Ernest reached its highest point in 1921, when 5,723 babies were given the name, ranking 82nd that year. Its best-ever ranking was 69th, in 1880.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 304,354 babies have been named Ernest. Half of them were born before 1939, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Silent Generation.
Ernest by decade
| Decade | Babies named Ernest | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 6,727 | 69 |
| 1890s | 7,919 | 86 |
| 1900s | 8,715 | 104 |
| 1910s | 37,310 | 80 |
| 1920s | 54,033 | 79 |
| 1930s | 39,627 | 93 |
| 1940s | 41,985 | 121 |
| 1950s | 39,875 | 169 |
| 1960s | 27,095 | 258 |
| 1970s | 16,909 | 291 |
| 1980s | 11,343 | 375 |
| 1990s | 6,064 | 587 |
| 2000s | 3,332 | 1,094 |
| 2010s | 2,211 | 1,822 |
| 2020s | 1,209 | 2,122 |
Where Ernest is heading
Ernest has held roughly steady over the past decade, from 216 babies in 2015 to 213 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1921 peak — Ernest is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Ernest
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Ernest.