Ethel
Grew out of Victorian short forms of older English names beginning in Ethel-, such as Etheldreda and Ethelinda; the element is Old English aethele, noble.
Ethel in 2025
Ethel was given to 34 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 7,320th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 97,510 babies born.
The history of Ethel
Ethel reached its highest point in 1918, when 8,110 babies were given the name, ranking 51st that year. Its best-ever ranking was 11th, in 1896.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 280,412 babies have been named Ethel. Half of them were born before 1919, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Greatest Generation.
Ethel by decade
| Decade | Babies named Ethel | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 14,939 | 16 |
| 1890s | 31,593 | 11 |
| 1900s | 35,049 | 13 |
| 1910s | 63,949 | 21 |
| 1920s | 63,144 | 54 |
| 1930s | 31,861 | 116 |
| 1940s | 20,688 | 195 |
| 1950s | 11,600 | 333 |
| 1960s | 4,721 | 640 |
| 1970s | 1,499 | 1,199 |
| 1980s | 547 | 2,388 |
| 1990s | 272 | 4,189 |
| 2000s | 187 | 7,214 |
| 2010s | 198 | 7,543 |
| 2020s | 165 | 7,320 |
Where Ethel is heading
Ethel has risen 183% over the past decade, from 12 babies in 2015 to 34 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1918 peak — Ethel is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Ethel
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Ethel.