How Many People Are Named Ernest?
people named Ernest are alive in the United States today (estimate)
About 1 in 3,042 people in the US has this name
Based on 304,354 babies named Ernest in Social Security records from 1880 to 2025, and the share of each birth year still alive in 2025.
Popularity Rank
β Uncommon
Peak Year
5,723 births
Trend
Stable (last 10 years)
π Name Origin & Meaning
Meaning:
Derived from Germanic eornost meaning "serious". It was introduced to England by the German House of Hanover when they inherited the British throne in the 18th century, though it did not become common until the following century. The American author and adventurer Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was a famous bearer of the name. It was also used by Oscar Wilde for a character in his comedy 'The Importance of Being Earnest' (1895).
Source of the meaning, origin, pronunciation and related names: Behind the Name.
Same Sound, Other Spellings
These names are pronounced like Ernest in English. Counting Ernest and these spellings together, about 133,071 people alive in the US have the name.
β§ Gender Distribution
Of the babies given the name Ernest, 0.7% were girls and 99.3% were boys.
π₯ Age Distribution
The average person named Ernest alive today is about 60 years old, and 59% are 60 or older. Half of them were between 49 and 74 in 2025.
π Popularity Over Time
Ernest first appears in the records in 1880 and was given most often in 1921, to 5,723 babies. In 2025, 213 babies got the name.
Babies given the name each year, 1880 to 2025
π Rank History
Ernest never made the top 10 boys' names. Its best rank was #21, in 1885, and it was in the top 100 for 77 years, 1880 to 1956. In 2025 it ranked #1,040.
| Boys | |
|---|---|
| Rank in 2025 | #1,040 |
| Best rank | #21 (1885) |
| Years in the top 100 | 77 (1880 to 1956) |
| Rank in its biggest decade | #39 in the 1920s |
π State-Wise Distribution
People named Ernest alive today, by the state where they were born (estimate; state records start in 1910).
More people named Ernest were born in California than in any other state: about 10,811 of those alive today. Compared with the national rate in the same years, Ernest was given 2.5 times as often in New Mexico, 1.9 times in Hawaii and 1.8 times in Arizona.
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