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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201942peak #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 1942

girls
#2,817
11 births · 1 in 122,793 girls
boys
#192
835 births · 1 in 1,654 boys

Top girls' names in 1942

  1. #1Mary63,256
  2. #2Barbara44,739
  3. #3Patricia39,465
  4. #4Linda31,613
  5. #5Carol30,272
  6. #6Sandra24,994
  7. #7Judith24,792
  8. #8Nancy23,327
  9. #9Betty21,659
  10. #10Carolyn19,978
  11. #2,817Earnest11

Top boys' names in 1942

  1. #1James77,182
  2. #2Robert71,845
  3. #3John66,043
  4. #4William54,890
  5. #5Richard43,593
  6. #6David35,905
  7. #7Charles35,854
  8. #8Thomas31,100
  9. #9Ronald27,138
  10. #10Donald23,955
  11. #192Earnest835
More about 1942

girls

1,350,719 girls got a published name in 1942; 1 in 122,793 of them was named Earnest, which outranked 47.6% of the 5,378 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Earnest
  1. #2,666Willow12
  2. #2,666Wilmer12
  3. #2,666Yetta12
  4. #2,817Earnest11
  5. #2,817Adah11
  6. #2,817Adaline11
  7. #2,817Adelfa11
  8. #2,986Adelita10
  9. #2,986Adra10
  10. #2,986Adrianna10

Tied with 168 names at #2,817; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1941
Risers
  1. 3,567Michal#4,420#853
  2. 1,885Merrily#2,397#512
  3. 1,081Merrilee#1,954#873
  4. 783Jerrilyn#1,610#827
  5. 760Candace#1,418#658
Fallers
  1. 354Rebekah#924#1,278
  2. 350Leatha#830#1,180
  3. 307Nella#993#1,300
  4. 272Arla#934#1,206
  5. 262Vivien#735#997

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

boys

1,381,161 boys got a published name in 1942; 1 in 1,654 of them was named Earnest, which outranked 95.3% of the 4,044 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Earnest
  1. #189Matthew842
  2. #190Mack840
  3. #191Donnie837
  4. #192Earnest835
  5. #193Gerard832
  6. #193Sammy832
  7. #195Christopher813
Biggest movers since 1941
Risers
  1. 2,993Macarthur#3,505#512
  2. 1,546Mcarthur#1,903#357
  3. 655Collin#1,588#933
  4. 514Delmas#1,254#740
  5. 390Colin#713#323
Fallers
  1. 525Otho#971#1,496
  2. 440Florian#918#1,358
  3. 421Martha#960#1,381
  4. 407Watson#951#1,358
  5. 371Gaylen#987#1,358

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

See the top 100 for 1942