Boys' name · peaked in 1895
Ernest name popularity since 1925
215,700 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Ernest (0.6% girls, 99.4% boys). Half of them were born in 1950 or earlier, so the typical Ernest is about 76 years old in 2026. Ernest peaked in 1895 as the #24 name for boys, and it was outside the top 1,000 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 215,700
- Named Ernest, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1895
- #24 for boys that year
- In 2025
- Not top 1,000
- #1,040 for boys in 2025
- Girls / boys
- 99.4% boys
- 1,390 girls · 214,310 boys
- Most popular in
- New Mexico
- 2.54× its national share
Peak year is the year Ernest made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Ernest births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 1925. Measured as a share of all babies, Ernest peaked earlier, in 1895.
- Steepest fall: Between 1990 and 1995, Ernest's share of baby boys fell by 42%, from 1 in 2,230 to 1 in 3,880.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Ernest's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Ernest.
Decade by decade
Babies named Ernest in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 218 | 25,832 | – |
| 1930s | 281 | 39,346 | #55 |
| 1940s | 223 | 41,762 | #60 |
| 1950s | 195 | 39,680 | #90 |
| 1960s | 203 | 26,892 | #124 |
| 1970s | 153 | 16,756 | #161 |
| 1980s | 107 | 11,236 | #220 |
| 1990s | 10 | 6,054 | #460 |
| 2000s | 0 | 3,332 | #649 |
| 2010s | 0 | 2,211 | #956 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 1,209 | #1,040 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
34.0% of babies named Ernest from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Silent Generation years (1928–1945). The full split by generation:
Where Ernest is most popular
The index compares Ernest's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Ernest.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 2.54× | 3,004 |
| South Carolina | 2.24× | 6,717 |
| Hawaii | 2.07× | 1,385 |
| Rhode Island | 2.02× | 1,536 |
| Vermont | 1.92× | 686 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Ernest's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Ernest.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Ernest (1895).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data