Ernest vs Ernie

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

Name A

Ernest

Boy name · Rank #1083

Full profile →
Name B

Ernie

Boy name · Rank #6175

Full profile →

Which name is more popular?

Metric Ernest Ernie
Current Rank #1083 #6175
Total Births (all years) 302,282 16,501
Peak Year 1921 1959
Peak Year Births 5,697 450
Peak Decade 1920ss 1950ss
Gender Boy Boy
First Recorded Year 1880 1880

Births by Decade

Decade Ernest Ernie
1880ss 6,700 70
1890ss 7,877 81
1900ss 8,657 128
1910ss 37,134 476
1920ss 53,653 927
1930ss 39,346 1,368
1940ss 41,762 2,838
1950ss 39,679 3,380
1960ss 26,892 3,116
1970ss 16,756 1,541
1980ss 11,236 1,033
1990ss 6,054 719
2000ss 3,332 476
2010ss 2,211 249
2020ss 993 99

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

Year Ernest Ernie
2014 247 25
2015 216 23
2016 210 28
2017 219 20
2018 215 23
2019 193 18
2020 208 25
2021 187 19
2022 186 21
2023 212 20
2024 200 14

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.

← Compare different names