Total births
9,060
Girls' name · since 1880
Erna
9,060 babies named Erna in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1916. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 9,060
- total births
- 1880–2021
- years on record
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 27%
- born in that decade
Erna sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 9,060 recorded since 1880.
Erna has 9,060 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1910s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2021.
- 9,060 total births
- 1880–2021 years on record
- 1910s peak decade
- 27% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
9,060 girls have been named Erna since 1880, peaking in the 1910s, last recorded in 2021.
- 9,060
- total births
- 1880–2021
- years on record
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 27%
- born in that decade
1910s
Peak decade
27% of everyone ever named Erna was born in this single decade.
1916
Single peak year
358 babies were named Erna in 1916 - its busiest year on record.
Erna's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Erna's SSA record in two at 1940 and the more recent half accounts for 15% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 85%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1881, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1916 peak of 358, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Erna at a glance
Last recorded 2021Peak year
1916
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1880
Erna popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2021
- Peak year (1916)
- 358
- Annual births at peak, across 142 years of records
Erna popularity over time - boys
11 total births recorded since 1909 (Erna as boys' name)
Erna by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1910s was Erna's strongest decade.
2,465 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Erna births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 201
1880s
201 births
- 1890s 879
1890s
879 births
- 1900s
1900s
1,045 births
- 1910s
1910s
2,465 births
- 1920s
1920s
2,035 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,047 births
- 1940s 590
1940s
590 births
- 1950s 379
1950s
379 births
- 1960s 181
1960s
181 births
- 1970s 70
1970s
70 births
- 1980s 19
1980s
19 births
- 1990s 15
1990s
15 births
- 2000s 95
2000s
95 births
- 2010s 33
2010s
33 births
- 2020s 6
2020s
6 births
What this shows Peak: 1910s at 2,465 births (27% of all-time use).
How Erna compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Erna's total volume
Erna vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Erna by state
Where Erna concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 568 | 6.3% |
| #2 | Wisconsin | | 567 | 6.3% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 525 | 5.8% |
| #4 | New York | | 489 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Minnesota | | 295 | 3.3% |
| #6 | North Dakota | | 264 | 2.9% |
| #7 | Missouri | | 262 | 2.9% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 227 | 2.5% |
Texas share of Erna's total US births 6.3%
Even split
568 of 9,060 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 28 reporting states.
Erna appears in 28 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Erna? ▼
Erna has been given to 9,060 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2021. 358 babies were born in 1916, its single highest year.
When was Erna most popular? ▼
Erna was most popular in the 1910s decade with 2,465 total births. The single peak year was 1916.
Where is Erna most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Erna are Texas (568 births), Wisconsin (567 births), Illinois (525 births).
How long has the name Erna been used? ▼
Erna has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 142 years of data through 2021.
What names are similar to Erna? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Ernestine, Ernestina, Ernest, Ernie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Erna's data
- Erna's decade-level peak was the 1910s (2,465 total births); usage has since declined to 6 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Ernas (568 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Erna
Nearby Names Like Erna
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Erna
Ernestine Girl
44,032 births
Ernestina Girl
5,309 births
Ernest Girl
1,855 births
Ernie Girl
714 births
Ernesteen Girl
249 births
Compare Erna side by side: Erna vs Ernestine Erna vs Ernestina Erna vs Ernest
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2021 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Erna: Baby Name Since 1880 - 9,060 Births, Peak 1916." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/erna. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Erna draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.