Total births
16,520
Boys' name · since 1880
Ernie
16,520 babies named Ernie in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1959. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #6203
- among boys today
- 16,520
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 57%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Ernie is the #6203 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 16,520 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Ernie recorded 16,520 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #6203 nationally today, ahead of 57% of boys, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #6203 among boys today
- 16,520 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
- 57% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Ernie is currently the #6203 boys' name in America, more common than 57% of boys - 16,520 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #6203
- among boys today
- 16,520
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
- 57%
- more common than other boys
Ernie vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#6203
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 57% of names given to boys today.
1950s
Peak decade
20% of everyone ever named Ernie was born in this single decade.
1959
Single peak year
450 babies were named Ernie in 1959 - its busiest year on record.
How Ernie compares
16,520 Top 6% higher than 94% of 14,294 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
Ernie's all-time total is 45x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ernie | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 16,520 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 450 | 23 | 22,252 |
Ernie's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Ernie splits its recorded history at 1954: 57% of all births land in the more recent half, 43% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1884 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1959 peak of 450 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Ernie at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1959
Current rank
#6,203
Active since
1880
Ernie popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1959)
- 450
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Ernie popularity over time - girls
714 total births recorded since 1889 (Ernie as girls' name)
Ernie by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1950s was Ernie's strongest decade.
3,380 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Ernie births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 70
1880s
70 births
- 1890s 81
1890s
81 births
- 1900s 128
1900s
128 births
- 1910s 476
1910s
476 births
- 1920s 927
1920s
927 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,368 births
- 1940s
1940s
2,838 births
- 1950s
1950s
3,380 births
- 1960s
1960s
3,116 births
- 1970s
1970s
1,541 births
- 1980s 1,033
1980s
1,033 births
- 1990s 719
1990s
719 births
- 2000s 477
2000s
477 births
- 2010s 249
2010s
249 births
- 2020s 117
2020s
117 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 3,380 births (20% of all-time use).
How Ernie 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 Ernie's total volume
Ernie vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Ernie by state
Where Ernie concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 3,584 | 21.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 873 | 5.3% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 736 | 4.5% |
| #4 | Kentucky | | 707 | 4.3% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 556 | 3.4% |
| #6 | New York | | 477 | 2.9% |
| #7 | Arizona | | 452 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 421 | 2.5% |
California share of Ernie's total US births 21.7%
Even split
3,584 of 16,520 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 38 reporting states.
Ernie appears in 38 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ernie? ▼
16,520 babies have been named Ernie since 1880. It currently ranks #6203 among boys. The peak year was 1959 with 450 births.
When was Ernie most popular? ▼
Ernie was most popular in the 1950s decade with 3,380 total births. The single peak year was 1959.
Where is Ernie most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Ernie are California (3,584 births), Texas (873 births), Ohio (736 births).
How long has the name Ernie been used? ▼
Records for Ernie go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Ernie? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Ernest, Ernesto, Ernst, Ernan, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Ernie's data
- Ernie's decade-level peak was the 1950s (3,380 total births); usage has since declined to 117 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Ernies (3,584 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California 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 Ernie
Nearby Names Like Ernie
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ernie
Ernest Boy
#1076 302,499 births
Ernesto Boy
#892 44,695 births
Ernst Boy
2,383 births
Ernan Boy
#10170 329 births
Ernestine Boy
159 births
Compare Ernie side by side: Ernie vs Ernest Ernie vs Ernesto Ernie vs Ernst
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ernie
Norris #6202
16,456 births · Peak 1924
Mitchel #6204
13,287 births · Peak 1994
Bud #6201
9,502 births · Peak 1928
Ottis #6205
4,473 births · Peak 1920
Delbert #6200
46,930 births · Peak 1932
Samual #6206
5,594 births · Peak 1997
Gustave #6199
5,430 births · Peak 1915
Joesph #6207
15,650 births · Peak 1957
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Ernie: #6203 Boys' Name - 16,520 Births, Peak 1959." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/ernie. 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 Ernie 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.