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 #2149

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Name B

Earnest

Boy name · Rank #5430

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Which name is more popular?

Metric Earl Earnest
Current Rank #2149 #5430
Total Births (all years) 289,108 58,366
Peak Year 1921 1926
Peak Year Births 6,754 1,149
Peak Decade 1920ss 1920ss
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Earl Earnest
1880ss 4,830 1,043
1890ss 8,297 1,390
1900ss 9,251 1,907
1910ss 40,273 6,856
1920ss 63,602 10,869
1930ss 44,613 8,722
1940ss 39,127 8,706
1950ss 32,652 7,311
1960ss 20,369 4,515
1970ss 11,404 2,962
1980ss 7,398 1,995
1990ss 3,908 1,053
2000ss 1,906 559
2010ss 1,102 364
2020ss 376 114

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Earl Earnest
2014 105 37
2015 129 33
2016 110 24
2017 113 32
2018 97 40
2019 97 27
2020 68 28
2021 99 21
2022 78 24
2023 63 24
2024 68 17

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, 1880–2024.

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