Earnest

Last seen for girls in 1980 at #10,392 · #4,139 for boys in 2025, 25 births
Given to boys 98.8% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1900 · 223 births
Debut · boys
88 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
58,389
since 1880

Earnest over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Earnest has never cracked the top 100 here.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201936peak #104, 1900boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#4,13925
2024#5,44317
2023#4,34324
2022#4,30324
2021#4,62821
2020#3,73428
2019#3,89927
2018#2,94340
2017#3,44032
2016#4,19924
2015#3,36533
2014#3,03837
2013#3,40531
2012#2,48850
2011#2,37653
2010#3,07237
2009#2,75344
2008#2,46751
2007#2,50450
2006#2,17659
2005#2,36549
2004#2,10256
2003#2,18050
2002#1,81763
2001#1,67769
2000#1,68168
1999#1,47777
1998#1,23798
1997#1,29488
1996#1,30384
1995#1,20692
1994#1,030116
1993#1,16392
1992#911135
1991#945126
1990#849145
1989#758169
1988#756157
1987#698170
1986#642195
1985#659178
1984#655174
1983#582210
1982#534255
1981#553236
1980#10,3925#539251
1979#10,2105#545245
1978#568218
1977#501266
1976#469281
1975#7,9846#473285
1974#474281
1973#446306
1972#8,2925#434334
1971#6,0068#426362
1970#5,4139#417383
1969#7,4715#409380
1968#393390
1967#4,30010#386379
1966#4,19810#368423
1965#3,73312#365443
1964#5,4747#391417
1963#6,5925#363468
1962#353499
1961#4,00911#345524
1960#2,98917#320592
1959#3,25414#326559
1958#3,54312#298634
1957#3,48912#303631
1956#3,49312#272727
1955#3,77810#269696
1954#2,69517#250771
1953#2,59517#239787
1952#3,04013#233814
1951#3,10612#239803
1950#2,34118#213888
1949#2,34018#213888
1948#3,35010#211899
1947#3,06112#203982
1946#3,03411#202850
1945#1,87420#188807
1944#3,1399#182896
1943#2,07918#177940
1942#2,81711#192835
1941#1,88219#185812
1940#2,42412#184797
1939#1,88118#176808
1938#1,94517#175827
1937#2,73510#174833
1936#2,15314#169815
1935#2,00616#163881
1934#2,28913#161921
1933#3,1098#166858
1932#2,36513#169872
1931#2,42712#162916
1930#2,69011#153991
1929#2,30114#155996
1928#2,38114#1531,043
1927#2,33915#1481,062
1926#3,04610#1471,149
1925#2,37815#1481,103
1924#2,51414#1451,144
1923#2,02119#1461,063
1922#1,95720#1431,089
1921#2,50914#1381,128
1920#3,09710#1401,092
1919#2,51513#1391,064
1918#3,2449#1421,081
1917#3,7137#143924
1916#3,0319#155780
1915#143824
1914#2,8767#147638
1913#2,5407#144521
1912#132486
1911#125283
1910#128255
1909#107255
1908#111230
1907#107225
1906#117183
1905#124172
1904#110189
1903#133140
1902#121159
1901#127131
1900#104223
1899#114146
1898#1,7005#114161
1897#116148
1896#124144
1895#117143
1894#119131
1893#121132
1892#116149
1891#121114
1890#120122
1889#144101
1888#118138
1887#12999
1886#131105
1885#113120
1884#132109
1883#14887
1882#134104
1881#13292
1880#15488
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Earnest was already there! It came in at #154, and was given to 88 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 2021–2025, when fewer than 26 boys a year got the name.

See more about Earnest
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 1,304 spots since 2024 (#5,443#4,139)
  • 405 spots since 2020 (#3,734#4,139)
  • 774 spots since 2015 (#3,365#4,139)
  • Biggest jump: 34 spots in 1992 (#945#911)
  • Biggest drop: 252 spots in 1993 (#911#1,163)
Rise & fade · boys
20 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1900 at #104 (223 births)
  • Births halved by 1993, 93 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 113 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 113 yrs · run 1880–1992
Share of babies · boys
1 in 643
  • Highest: 1 in 643 boys born in 1909 were named Earnest (0.16%)
  • Latest: 1 in 68,323 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
  • Its best rank, #104 in 1900, was only 1 in 675 (0.15%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 18.6% of all boys named Earnest (10,869) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s1,043#113 (1885)#134
1890s1,390#114 (1898)#118
1900s1,907#104 (1900)#116
1910s6,856#125 (1911)#140
1920s10,869#138 (1921)#146
1930s8,722#153 (1930)#167
1940s8,706#177 (1943)#194
1950s7,310#213 (1950)#264
1960s4,515#320 (1960)#369
1970s2,961#417 (1970)#475
1980s1,995#534 (1982)#638
1990s1,053#849 (1990)#1,142
2000s559#1,677 (2001)#2,172
2010s364#2,376 (2011)#3,223
2020s139#3,734 (2020)#4,432

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Earnest in 1936

girls
#2,153
14 births · 1 in 74,314 girls
boys
#169
815 births · 1 in 1,273 boys

Top girls' names in 1936

  1. #1Mary54,377
  2. #2Shirley35,161
  3. #3Barbara31,682
  4. #4Betty25,868
  5. #5Patricia23,916
  6. #6Dorothy17,666
  7. #7Joan17,072
  8. #8Nancy16,755
  9. #9Margaret14,596
  10. #10Carol14,520
  11. #2,153Earnest14

Top boys' names in 1936

  1. #1Robert58,500
  2. #2James54,694
  3. #3John47,683
  4. #4William39,398
  5. #5Richard33,494
  6. #6Charles29,101
  7. #7Donald28,639
  8. #8Thomas18,342
  9. #9George18,197
  10. #10David17,476
  11. #169Earnest815
More about 1936

girls

1,040,390 girls got a published name in 1936; 1 in 74,314 of them was named Earnest, which outranked 55.7% of the 4,856 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Earnest
  1. #2,032Willo15
  2. #2,032Wynette15
  3. #2,032Yvonna15
  4. #2,153Earnest14
  5. #2,153Aleene14
  6. #2,153Alejandra14
  7. #2,153Alvin14
  8. #2,263Aliene13
  9. #2,263Alleen13
  10. #2,263Alverna13

Tied with 109 names at #2,153; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1935
Risers
  1. 3,238Shelba#3,742#504
  2. 662Shelby#840#178
  3. 600Wendy#1,418#818
  4. 588Deanna#1,356#768
  5. 546Shari#1,514#968
Fallers
  1. 1,028Norita#713#1,741
  2. 506Vernetta#974#1,480
  3. 461Ozella#984#1,445
  4. 400Shirleyann#896#1,296
  5. 342Idell#925#1,267

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,037,205 boys got a published name in 1936; 1 in 1,273 of them was named Earnest, which outranked 95.8% of the 4,037 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Earnest
  1. #165Karl830
  2. #167Billie824
  3. #168Jon816
  4. #169Earnest815
  5. #169Ben815
  6. #171Luther804
  7. #172Carroll789
  8. #173Wilbur781

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1935
Risers
  1. 802Errol#1,708#906
  2. 644Sergio#1,584#940
  3. 601Brice#1,494#893
  4. 537Windell#1,390#853
  5. 529Kim#1,390#861
Fallers
  1. 1,082Stafford#980#2,062
  2. 889Darwyn#750#1,639
  3. 461Hunter#956#1,417
  4. 399Orvil#844#1,243
  5. 370Rosendo#956#1,326

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1936