Boys' name · since 1880
Ernest
Ernest has 302,499 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1921 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #120 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,038 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 302,499
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Ernest is the #1038 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 302,499 recorded since 1880.
Ernest has 302,499 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1038 as of the latest data, more common than 93% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #120 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,038 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 302,499 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ernest ranks #120 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,038 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 302,499 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #120 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,038 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 302,499
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Ernest's 302,499 recorded births place it above 99.73% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Ernest compares
302,499 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Ernest's all-time total is 820x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ernest | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 302,499 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 5,697 | 34 | 22,252 |
Ernest's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Ernest's full recorded timeline at 1953, 31% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 69% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2022, with just 186 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1921 peak of 5,697 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Ernest popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 5,697
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Ernest popularity over time - girls
1,855 total births recorded since 1886 (Ernest as girls' name)
Ernest by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (53,653 births, 18% of the file).
1920s was Ernest's strongest decade.
53,653 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Ernest births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 6,700
1880s
6,700 births
- 1890s 7,877
1890s
7,877 births
- 1900s 8,657
1900s
8,657 births
- 1910s
1910s
37,134 births
- 1920s
1920s
53,653 births
- 1930s
1930s
39,346 births
- 1940s
1940s
41,762 births
- 1950s
1950s
39,680 births
- 1960s
1960s
26,892 births
- 1970s 16,756
1970s
16,756 births
- 1980s 11,236
1980s
11,236 births
- 1990s 6,054
1990s
6,054 births
- 2000s 3,332
2000s
3,332 births
- 2010s 2,211
2010s
2,211 births
- 2020s 1,209
2020s
1,209 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 53,653 births (18% of all-time use).
How Ernest compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Ernest's total volume
Ernest by state
Where Ernest concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 19,418 | 6.4% |
| #2 | California | | 19,118 | 6.3% |
| #3 | New York | | 18,269 | 6.0% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 14,827 | 4.9% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 11,660 | 3.9% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 10,761 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 10,465 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 9,657 | 3.2% |
19,418 of 302,499 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Ernest appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ernest? ▼
Where does Ernest sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Ernest most popular? ▼
Where is Ernest most popular? ▼
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What to do with Ernest's data
- Ernest's decade-level peak was the 1920s (53,653 total births); usage has since declined to 1,209 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Ernests (19,418 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Ernest
Nearby Names Like Ernest
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ernest
Compare Ernest side by side: Ernest vs Ernesto Ernest vs Ernie Ernest vs Ernst
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ernest
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Ernest: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Ernest 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 August 2026.