Ernie vs Ernest

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

Name A

Ernie

Boy name · Rank #6175

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Name B

Ernest

Boy name · Rank #1083

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Which name is more popular?

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

Births by Decade

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

Recent Annual Births (2014–present)

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

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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