Girls' name · since 1915
Ernesta
244 babies named Ernesta in U.S. Social Security records since 1915, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #17,815 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 244
- born since 1915
- 1970s
- peak decade
244 girls have been named Ernesta since 1915, though it isn't currently a top-ranked name.
Ernesta has 244 recorded births among girls since 1915, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1915 to 1981.
- #17,815 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 244 born since 1915
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ernesta ranks #17,815 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 244 born since 1915, peaking in the 1970s.
- #17,815 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 244
- born since 1915
- 1970s
- peak decade
Ernesta's 244 recorded births place it above 75.34% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Ernesta's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Ernesta splits its recorded history at 1957: 51% of all births land in the more recent half, 49% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1920 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1918 peak of 13 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Ernesta popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1915–1981
- Peak year (1918)
- 13
- Annual births at peak, across 67 years of records
Ernesta by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (69 births, 28% of the file).
1970s was Ernesta's strongest decade.
69 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Ernesta births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s
1910s
41 births
- 1920s 21
1920s
21 births
- 1930s 19
1930s
19 births
- 1940s 18
1940s
18 births
- 1950s
1950s
35 births
- 1960s
1960s
30 births
- 1970s
1970s
69 births
- 1980s 11
1980s
11 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 69 births (28% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ernesta? ▼
Where does Ernesta sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Ernesta most popular? ▼
How long has the name Ernesta been used? ▼
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What to do with Ernesta's data
- Ernesta's decade-level peak was the 1970s (69 total births); usage has since declined to 11 in the 1980s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Ernesta
Nearby Names Like Ernesta
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ernesta
Compare Ernesta side by side: Ernesta vs Ernestine Ernesta vs Erna Ernesta vs Ernestina
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Ernesta: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1918)
Similar record span (~66 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, 1915–1981 (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 Ernesta 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.