Ernest

Last seen for girls in 1991 at #7,987 · #1,038 for boys in 2025, 213 births
Given to boys 99.4% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1885 · 718 births
Debut · boys
615 births
In top 100 · boys
77 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
302,499
since 1880

Ernest over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201969peak #21, 1885boys
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#1,038213
2024#1,076202
2023#1,024213
2022#1,131186
2021#1,108187
2020#1,009208
2019#1,057193
2018#964215
2017#951219
2016#977210
2015#955216
2014#877247
2013#934217
2012#922223
2011#846253
2010#925218
2009#850251
2008#791277
2007#759289
2006#724298
2005#648336
2004#595368
2003#594363
2002#591353
2001#576357
2000#514440
1999#536387
1998#485450
1997#460480
1996#435517
1995#460491
1994#392591
1993#367644
1992#337721
1991#7,98710#299853
1990#283920
1989#7,44910#265955
1988#7,6919#2391,002
1987#8,7787#245947
1986#6,61210#2331,007
1985#6,9559#2201,072
1984#5,89911#2031,148
1983#5,82411#1991,191
1982#4,94514#2001,240
1981#6,8049#1931,304
1980#4,32717#1801,370
1979#4,05218#1711,399
1978#7,6497#1711,381
1977#4,23516#1611,485
1976#3,96316#1601,482
1975#4,37014#1611,515
1974#4,04115#1501,642
1973#4,87111#1491,680
1972#3,71416#1471,767
1971#3,16621#1432,101
1970#3,31119#1432,304
1969#2,91721#1302,357
1968#4,00012#1302,246
1967#2,70621#1282,351
1966#4,8668#1222,505
1965#2,60522#1242,578
1964#2,53024#1242,816
1963#2,78020#1222,904
1962#2,46324#1272,849
1961#2,29927#1233,096
1960#2,43224#1203,190
1959#2,33924#1183,341
1958#2,37623#1133,516
1957#2,72718#1013,786
1956#2,10327#943,952
1955#3,09514#903,975
1954#2,69517#874,202
1953#2,92114#874,095
1952#2,12623#874,123
1951#2,57716#834,382
1950#2,25319#814,308
1949#1,69731#764,346
1948#2,18820#764,512
1947#2,63715#754,787
1946#2,73913#714,395
1945#1,79522#604,005
1944#1,48630#594,042
1943#1,70325#614,172
1942#1,66825#614,079
1941#1,75021#613,726
1940#1,74521#583,698
1939#1,88118#553,688
1938#1,25034#553,708
1937#2,10115#533,759
1936#1,32130#553,715
1935#1,66321#553,702
1934#1,40927#513,849
1933#1,24433#503,674
1932#1,21335#474,166
1931#1,25833#474,298
1930#1,27435#434,787
1929#1,19539#434,753
1928#1,11546#434,941
1927#1,07151#415,208
1926#1,27937#375,436
1925#1,15045#375,494
1924#1,27939#375,683
1923#1,55628#385,372
1922#1,36634#375,503
1921#1,66826#385,697
1920#1,31235#375,566
1919#1,60425#365,296
1918#1,36032#375,527
1917#2,20415#375,055
1916#1,40827#364,823
1915#1,52323#354,787
1914#1,54118#383,632
1913#1,88311#342,940
1912#1,9819#322,569
1911#1,45011#321,338
1910#2,3985#311,167
1909#1,7637#34885
1908#2,1015#311,000
1907#1,3849#30978
1906#28943
1905#1,4208#31845
1904#1,2519#32749
1903#30764
1902#1,5946#29790
1901#1,1369#28691
1900#1,9325#301,012
1899#1,5965#27744
1898#1,3797#28839
1897#27785
1896#29764
1895#98611#24834
1894#24821
1893#1,4375#23796
1892#79614#26805
1891#22715
1890#22774
1889#9029#23736
1888#1,1366#27766
1887#9377#23653
1886#1,1085#25668
1885#21718
1884#25690
1883#23641
1882#27642
1881#25571
1880#26615
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Ernest was already there! It came in at #26, and was given to 615 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 2008–2025, when fewer than 280 boys a year got the name.

See more about Ernest
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 38 spots since 2024 (#1,076#1,038)
  • 29 spots since 2020 (#1,009#1,038)
  • 83 spots since 2015 (#955#1,038)
  • Biggest jump: 79 spots in 2011 (#925#846)
  • Biggest drop: 93 spots in 2019 (#964#1,057)
Rise & fade · boys
5 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1885 at #21 (718 births)
  • Births halved by 2001, 116 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 77 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 77 yrs · run 1880–1956
  • Top 1,000: 139 yrs · run 1880–2018
Share of babies · boys
1 in 141
  • Highest: 1 in 141 boys born in 1895 were named Ernest (0.71%)
  • Latest: 1 in 8,019 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
  • Its best rank, #21 in 1885, was only 1 in 150 (0.67%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 17.7% of all boys named Ernest (53,653) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s6,700#21 (1885)#25
1890s7,877#22 (1890)#25
1900s8,657#28 (1906)#30
1910s37,134#31 (1910)#35
1920s53,653#37 (1924)#39
1930s39,346#43 (1930)#51
1940s41,762#58 (1940)#66
1950s39,680#81 (1950)#94
1960s26,892#120 (1960)#125
1970s16,756#143 (1970)#156
1980s11,236#180 (1980)#218
1990s6,054#283 (1990)#405
2000s3,332#514 (2000)#664
2010s2,211#846 (2011)#941
2020s1,209#1,009 (2020)#1,064

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.

Ernest in 1969

girls
#2,917
21 births · 1 in 80,334 girls
boys
#130
2,357 births · 1 in 759 boys

Top girls' names in 1969

  1. #1Lisa45,028
  2. #2Michelle34,319
  3. #3Jennifer33,705
  4. #4Kimberly33,077
  5. #5Melissa23,018
  6. #6Amy21,464
  7. #7Angela21,060
  8. #8Mary19,850
  9. #9Tammy19,053
  10. #10Laura17,922
  11. #2,917Ernest21

Top boys' names in 1969

  1. #1Michael85,162
  2. #2David63,672
  3. #3James59,886
  4. #4John58,732
  5. #5Robert58,300
  6. #6William37,607
  7. #7Christopher35,672
  8. #8Mark33,388
  9. #9Brian31,669
  10. #10Richard31,085
  11. #130Ernest2,357
More about 1969

girls

1,687,016 girls got a published name in 1969; 1 in 80,334 of them was named Ernest, which outranked 66.5% of the 8,708 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 15.9% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Ernest
  1. #2,844Yalanda22
  2. #2,844Yolunda22
  3. #2,844Zabrina22
  4. #2,917Ernest21
  5. #2,917Abbe21
  6. #2,917Angelika21
  7. #2,917Angi21
  8. #3,012Angelee20
  9. #3,012Angelette20
  10. #3,012Asha20

Tied with 94 names at #2,917; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1968
Risers
  1. 1,462Shani#2,126#664
  2. 1,203Julissa#2,164#961
  3. 1,133Chelsea#1,834#701
  4. 667Latasha#1,519#852
  5. 549Britt#1,519#970
Fallers
  1. 455Tamiko#552#1,007
  2. 345Alesia#697#1,042
  3. 324Vickey#966#1,290
  4. 308Bettina#746#1,054
  5. 293Cammie#846#1,139

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

boys

1,788,174 boys got a published name in 1969; 1 in 759 of them was named Ernest, which outranked 97.4% of the 5,043 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 27.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Ernest
  1. #127Ronnie2,413
  2. #128Jesse2,377
  3. #129Shannon2,373
  4. #130Ernest2,357
  5. #131Eugene2,351
  6. #132Kurt2,281
  7. #133Leonard2,263
Biggest movers since 1968
Risers
  1. 1,735Dedric#2,735#1,000
  2. 780Jameson#1,731#951
  3. 589Torrey#1,393#804
  4. 549Jamison#1,258#709
  5. 534Jemal#1,083#549
Fallers
  1. 449Artis#877#1,326
  2. 410Kennedy#986#1,396
  3. 408Alfie#968#1,376
  4. 360Micky#861#1,221
  5. 356Montgomery#946#1,302

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

See the top 100 for 1969