Boys' name · since 1889
Ernesto
Ernesto has 44,695 recorded births since 1889 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2003 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #541 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #878 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 44,695
- born since 1889
- 1990s
- peak decade
Yes -- Ernesto is the #878 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 44,695 recorded since 1889.
Ernesto has 44,695 recorded births among boys since 1889, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #878 as of the latest data, more common than 94% of boys, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1889 to 2025.
- #541 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #878 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 44,695 born since 1889
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Ernesto ranks #541 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #878 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 44,695 born since 1889, peaking in the 1990s.
- #541 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #878 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 44,695
- born since 1889
- 1990s
- peak decade
Ernesto's 44,695 recorded births place it above 98.81% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
36 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Ernesto compares
44,695 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Ernesto's all-time total is 121x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ernesto | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 44,695 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 854 | 34 | 22,252 |
Ernesto's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Ernesto's SSA record in two at 1963 and the more recent half accounts for 80% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 20%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1899, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2003 peak of 854, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Ernesto popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1889–2025
- Peak year (2003)
- 854
- Annual births at peak, across 137 years of records
Ernesto popularity over time - girls
121 total births recorded since 1963 (Ernesto as girls' name)
Ernesto by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (8,111 births, 18% of the file).
1990s was Ernesto's strongest decade.
8,111 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Ernesto births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 6
1880s
6 births
- 1890s 5
1890s
5 births
- 1900s 59
1900s
59 births
- 1910s 451
1910s
451 births
- 1920s 1,212
1920s
1,212 births
- 1930s 1,326
1930s
1,326 births
- 1940s 1,794
1940s
1,794 births
- 1950s 2,861
1950s
2,861 births
- 1960s
1960s
3,604 births
- 1970s
1970s
5,079 births
- 1980s
1980s
6,655 births
- 1990s
1990s
8,111 births
- 2000s
2000s
7,802 births
- 2010s
2010s
4,093 births
- 2020s 1,637
2020s
1,637 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 8,111 births (18% of all-time use).
How Ernesto 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 Ernesto's total volume
Ernesto by state
Where Ernesto concentrates geographically, total births since 1889
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 15,317 | 34.3% |
| #2 | Texas | | 13,098 | 29.3% |
| #3 | Arizona | | 2,374 | 5.3% |
| #4 | New York | | 2,160 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 1,688 | 3.8% |
| #6 | Florida | | 1,552 | 3.5% |
| #7 | New Mexico | | 1,259 | 2.8% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 522 | 1.2% |
15,317 of 44,695 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 36 reporting states.
Ernesto appears in 36 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ernesto? ▼
Where does Ernesto sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Ernesto most popular? ▼
Where is Ernesto most popular? ▼
How long has the name Ernesto been used? ▼
What names are similar to Ernesto? ▼
What to do with Ernesto's data
- Ernesto's decade-level peak was the 1990s (8,111 total births); usage has since declined to 1,637 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Ernestos (15,317 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Ernesto
Nearby Names Like Ernesto
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ernesto
Compare Ernesto side by side: Ernesto vs Ernest Ernesto vs Ernie Ernesto vs Ernst
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ernesto
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Ernesto: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2003)
Similar record span (~136 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, 1889–2025 (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 Ernesto 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.