Ernest
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- UR-nist
- Origin
- Germanic
- UK rank, 2025
- #268 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #1,038 for boys
Vintage revival
Ernest is a boys' name of Germanic origin, meaning “serious, resolute”. In 2025 it ranked 268th for boys in the UK (192 babies) and 1,038th for boys in the US (213 babies).
What does Ernest mean?
Germanic: from Germanic ernst
“serious, resolute”
From the Germanic word for earnestness; Oscar Wilde punned on it in The Importance of Being Earnest.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Ernest a girl's or a boy's name?
Ernest is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 192 boys in the UK and 213 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Ernest in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #268among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 192about 1 in 1,600 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 8% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 192 boys in the UK were named Ernest, making it the 268th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 320th.
2025 had the most boys named Ernest of any year since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the boys named Ernest in the UK since 1996 were born between 2013 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
Among boys in 2025, it was 252nd in England and Wales and 441st in Scotland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#10), 1914 (#13), 1924 (#23), 1934 (#47) and 1944 (#72).
Ernest in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 192 | #268 |
| 2024 | 155 | #319 |
| 2023 | 168 | #302 |
| 2022 | 174 | #294 |
| 2021 | 158 | #328 |
| 2020 | 158 | #320 |
| 2019 | 172 | #316 |
| 2018 | 148 | #349 |
| 2017 | 185 | #312 |
| 2016 | 155 | #346 |
| 2015 | 152 | #345 |
| 2014 | 104 | #435 |
| 2013 | 94 | #474 |
| 2012 | 111 | #413 |
| 2011 | 65 | #587 |
| 2010 | 61 | #614 |
| 2009 | 54 | #659 |
| 2008 | 48 | #701 |
| 2007 | 43 | #731 |
| 2006 | 36 | #784 |
| 2005 | 24 | #997 |
| 2004 | 16 | #1,239 |
| 2003 | 20 | #1,010 |
| 2002 | 21 | #918 |
| 2001 | 10 | #1,458 |
| 2000 | 9 | #1,503 |
| 1999 | 9 | #1,451 |
| 1998 | 6 | #1,932 |
| 1997 | 9 | #1,412 |
| 1996 | 9 | #1,394 |
How popular is Ernest in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,038among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 213about 1 in 8,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 2% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 213 boys in the US were named Ernest, making it the 1,038th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,009th. Its busiest year was 1921, with 5,697 boys.
Half of all the boys named Ernest in the US since 1880 were born between 1922 and 1957, the years shaded on the chart below.
Ernest in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 213 | #1,038 |
| 2024 | 202 | #1,076 |
| 2023 | 213 | #1,024 |
| 2022 | 186 | #1,131 |
| 2021 | 187 | #1,108 |
| 2020 | 208 | #1,009 |
| 2019 | 193 | #1,057 |
| 2018 | 215 | #964 |
| 2017 | 219 | #951 |
| 2016 | 210 | #977 |
| 2015 | 216 | #955 |
| 2014 | 247 | #877 |
| 2013 | 217 | #934 |
| 2012 | 223 | #922 |
| 2011 | 253 | #846 |
| 2010 | 218 | #925 |
| 2009 | 251 | #850 |
| 2008 | 277 | #791 |
| 2007 | 289 | #759 |
| 2006 | 298 | #724 |
| 2005 | 336 | #648 |
| 2004 | 368 | #595 |
| 2003 | 363 | #594 |
| 2002 | 353 | #591 |
| 2001 | 357 | #576 |
| 2000 | 440 | #514 |
| 1999 | 387 | #536 |
| 1998 | 450 | #485 |
| 1997 | 480 | #460 |
| 1996 | 517 | #435 |
| 1995 | 491 | #460 |
| 1994 | 591 | #392 |
| 1993 | 644 | #367 |
| 1992 | 721 | #337 |
| 1991 | 853 | #299 |
| 1990 | 920 | #283 |
| 1989 | 955 | #265 |
| 1988 | 1,002 | #239 |
| 1987 | 947 | #245 |
| 1986 | 1,007 | #233 |
| 1985 | 1,072 | #220 |
| 1984 | 1,148 | #203 |
| 1983 | 1,191 | #199 |
| 1982 | 1,240 | #200 |
| 1981 | 1,304 | #193 |
| 1980 | 1,370 | #180 |
| 1979 | 1,399 | #171 |
| 1978 | 1,381 | #171 |
| 1977 | 1,485 | #161 |
| 1976 | 1,482 | #160 |
| 1975 | 1,515 | #161 |
| 1974 | 1,642 | #150 |
| 1973 | 1,680 | #149 |
| 1972 | 1,767 | #147 |
| 1971 | 2,101 | #143 |
| 1970 | 2,304 | #143 |
| 1969 | 2,357 | #130 |
| 1968 | 2,246 | #130 |
| 1967 | 2,351 | #128 |
| 1966 | 2,505 | #122 |
| 1965 | 2,578 | #124 |
| 1964 | 2,816 | #124 |
| 1963 | 2,904 | #122 |
| 1962 | 2,849 | #127 |
| 1961 | 3,096 | #123 |
| 1960 | 3,190 | #120 |
| 1959 | 3,341 | #118 |
| 1958 | 3,516 | #113 |
| 1957 | 3,786 | #101 |
| 1956 | 3,952 | #94 |
| 1955 | 3,975 | #90 |
| 1954 | 4,202 | #87 |
| 1953 | 4,095 | #87 |
| 1952 | 4,123 | #87 |
| 1951 | 4,382 | #83 |
| 1950 | 4,308 | #81 |
| 1949 | 4,346 | #76 |
| 1948 | 4,512 | #76 |
| 1947 | 4,787 | #75 |
| 1946 | 4,395 | #71 |
| 1945 | 4,005 | #60 |
| 1944 | 4,042 | #59 |
| 1943 | 4,172 | #61 |
| 1942 | 4,079 | #61 |
| 1941 | 3,726 | #61 |
| 1940 | 3,698 | #58 |
| 1939 | 3,688 | #55 |
| 1938 | 3,708 | #55 |
| 1937 | 3,759 | #53 |
| 1936 | 3,715 | #55 |
| 1935 | 3,702 | #55 |
| 1934 | 3,849 | #51 |
| 1933 | 3,674 | #50 |
| 1932 | 4,166 | #47 |
| 1931 | 4,298 | #47 |
| 1930 | 4,787 | #43 |
| 1929 | 4,753 | #43 |
| 1928 | 4,941 | #43 |
| 1927 | 5,208 | #41 |
| 1926 | 5,436 | #37 |
| 1925 | 5,494 | #37 |
| 1924 | 5,683 | #37 |
| 1923 | 5,372 | #38 |
| 1922 | 5,503 | #37 |
| 1921 | 5,697 | #38 |
| 1920 | 5,566 | #37 |
| 1919 | 5,296 | #36 |
| 1918 | 5,527 | #37 |
| 1917 | 5,055 | #37 |
| 1916 | 4,823 | #36 |
| 1915 | 4,787 | #35 |
| 1914 | 3,632 | #38 |
| 1913 | 2,940 | #34 |
| 1912 | 2,569 | #32 |
| 1911 | 1,338 | #32 |
| 1910 | 1,167 | #31 |
| 1909 | 885 | #34 |
| 1908 | 1,000 | #31 |
| 1907 | 978 | #30 |
| 1906 | 943 | #28 |
| 1905 | 845 | #31 |
| 1904 | 749 | #32 |
| 1903 | 764 | #30 |
| 1902 | 790 | #29 |
| 1901 | 691 | #28 |
| 1900 | 1,012 | #30 |
| 1899 | 744 | #27 |
| 1898 | 839 | #28 |
| 1897 | 785 | #27 |
| 1896 | 764 | #29 |
| 1895 | 834 | #24 |
| 1894 | 821 | #24 |
| 1893 | 796 | #23 |
| 1892 | 805 | #26 |
| 1891 | 715 | #22 |
| 1890 | 774 | #22 |
| 1889 | 736 | #23 |
| 1888 | 766 | #27 |
| 1887 | 653 | #23 |
| 1886 | 668 | #25 |
| 1885 | 718 | #21 |
| 1884 | 690 | #25 |
| 1883 | 641 | #23 |
| 1882 | 642 | #27 |
| 1881 | 571 | #25 |
| 1880 | 615 | #26 |
Nicknames for Ernest
- Ernie 141 boys in the UK in 2025
Names like Ernest
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Albert Frederick Wilfred Alfred Stanley Leonard Arthur Edward Frank Henry Ralph Otis
Names related to Ernest
More Germanic names
Amelia Liam Charlotte William Archie Charlie Emma Freddie Ella Harry Millie Albie Matilda Louie Miles Alice
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Ernest: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ernest, updated 20 October 2026.