Ethne
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- ETH-nee
- Origin
- Irish
Ethne is a girls' name of Irish origin, meaning “kernel, grain”. Too few babies were given it in the latest year to rank.
What does Ethne mean?
Irish: anglicised spelling of Eithne, from Old Irish étne
“kernel, grain”
An anglicised spelling of Eithne, an old Irish name meaning 'kernel'.
Is Ethne a girl's or a boy's name?
Ethne is a girls' name.
How popular is Ethne in the US?
No girls in the US were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2007, with 13 girls. It first appears in the records in 1978.
Half of all the girls named Ethne in the US since 1880 were born between 2004 and 2010, the years shaded on the chart below.
Ethne in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 6 | #14,120 |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 9 | #11,251 |
| 2011 | 5 | #16,756 |
| 2010 | 6 | #14,953 |
| 2009 | 8 | #12,423 |
| 2008 | 5 | #17,498 |
| 2007 | 13 | #9,003 |
| 2006 | 8 | #12,415 |
| 2005 | 12 | #8,878 |
| 2004 | 12 | #8,711 |
| 2003 | 12 | #8,500 |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 5 | #9,748 |
Names like Ethne
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Teagan, Reagan, Rowan, Ellie, Brielle, Kennedy, Maeve, Devyn, Phoebe, Cassidy, Emma, Mckenna
More Irish names
Oscar, Rory, Finn, Aiden, Ryan, Nolan, Quinn, Orla, Cody, Erin, Ronan, Connor, Declan, Casey, Callan, Lennon
Sources
Figures from 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, “Ethne: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/ethne, updated 20 October 2026.