Total births
38,991
Boys' name · since 1880
Ervin
38,991 babies named Ervin in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1923
- among boys today
- 38,991
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 87%
- more common than other boys
38,991 babies have been named Ervin since 1880, making it today's #1923 boys' name.
Ervin has 38,991 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1923 as of the latest data, more common than 87% 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.
- #1923 among boys today
- 38,991 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 87% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Ervin is currently the #1923 boys' name in America, more common than 87% of boys - 38,991 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1923
- among boys today
- 38,991
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 87%
- more common than other boys
Ervin vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1923
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 87% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
19% of everyone ever named Ervin was born in this single decade.
1921
Single peak year
859 babies were named Ervin in 1921 - its busiest year on record.
How Ervin compares
38,991 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Ervin's all-time total is 106x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Ervin | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 38,991 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 859 | 23 | 22,252 |
Ervin's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Ervin's full recorded timeline at 1953, 35% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 65% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 30 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1921 peak of 859 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Ervin at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1921
Current rank
#1,923
Active since
1880
Ervin popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 859
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Ervin popularity over time - girls
138 total births recorded since 1914 (Ervin as girls' name)
Ervin by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Ervin's strongest decade.
7,595 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Ervin births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 411
1880s
411 births
- 1890s 510
1890s
510 births
- 1900s 895
1900s
895 births
- 1910s
1910s
5,011 births
- 1920s
1920s
7,595 births
- 1930s
1930s
5,070 births
- 1940s
1940s
4,525 births
- 1950s
1950s
4,287 births
- 1960s 2,758
1960s
2,758 births
- 1970s 1,776
1970s
1,776 births
- 1980s 1,616
1980s
1,616 births
- 1990s 1,508
1990s
1,508 births
- 2000s 1,392
2000s
1,392 births
- 2010s 1,092
2010s
1,092 births
- 2020s 545
2020s
545 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 7,595 births (19% of all-time use).
How Ervin 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 Ervin's total volume
Ervin vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Ervin by state
Where Ervin concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Wisconsin | | 2,611 | 6.7% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 2,519 | 6.5% |
| #3 | Texas | | 2,245 | 5.8% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 1,579 | 4.0% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 1,550 | 4.0% |
| #6 | Minnesota | | 1,516 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 1,508 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 1,440 | 3.7% |
Wisconsin share of Ervin's total US births 6.7%
Even split
2,611 of 38,991 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 43 reporting states.
Ervin appears in 43 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Ervin? ▼
38,991 babies have been named Ervin since 1880. It currently ranks #1923 among boys. The peak year was 1921 with 859 births.
When was Ervin most popular? ▼
Ervin was most popular in the 1920s decade with 7,595 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Ervin most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Ervin are Wisconsin (2,611 births), North Carolina (2,519 births), Texas (2,245 births).
How long has the name Ervin been used? ▼
Records for Ervin go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Ervin? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Erving, Erven, Ervan, Ervey, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Ervin's data
- Ervin's decade-level peak was the 1920s (7,595 total births); usage has since declined to 545 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Wisconsin records the most Ervins (2,611 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Wisconsin 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 Ervin
Nearby Names Like Ervin
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Ervin
Erving Boy
940 births
Erven Boy
450 births
Ervan Boy
237 births
Ervey Boy
226 births
Ervie Boy
193 births
Compare Ervin side by side: Ervin vs Erving Ervin vs Erven Ervin vs Ervan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Ervin
Clinton #1922
97,567 births · Peak 1981
Fidel #1924
11,321 births · Peak 2001
Dan #1921
106,554 births · Peak 1960
Arie #1925
2,579 births · Peak 2023
Rudransh #1920
442 births · Peak 2024
Trevon #1926
14,340 births · Peak 1997
Alastor #1919
394 births · Peak 2024
Canon #1927
2,751 births · Peak 2019
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. "Ervin: #1923 Boys' Name - 38,991 Births, Peak 1921." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/ervin. 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 Ervin 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.