Earl vs Earnest

Side-by-side comparison of Earl and Earnest - popularity rank, total births, peak decade, and historical trends from Social Security Administration data.

Name A

Earl

Boy name · Rank #2156

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Name B

Earnest

Boy name · Rank #5443

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Earl Earnest
Current Rank #2156 #5443
Total Births (all years) 289,174 58,389
Peak Year 1921 1926
Peak Year Births 6,754 1,149
Peak Decade 1920s 1920s
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Earl Earnest
1880s 4,830 1,043
1890s 8,297 1,390
1900s 9,251 1,907
1910s 40,273 6,856
1920s 63,602 10,869
1930s 44,613 8,722
1940s 39,128 8,706
1950s 32,653 7,310
1960s 20,369 4,515
1970s 11,404 2,961
1980s 7,397 1,995
1990s 3,908 1,053
2000s 1,906 559
2010s 1,104 364
2020s 439 139

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Earl Earnest
2014 105 37
2015 129 33
2016 110 24
2017 114 32
2018 98 40
2019 97 27
2020 68 28
2021 99 21
2022 78 24
2023 63 24
2024 68 17
2025 63 25

Data Sources

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, ssa.gov/oact/babynames.
Source: SSA Annual Name Rankings, 1880–2025.

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