Earnest

Earnest - A very unique male name

Earnest appeared on the charts for the first time in 1910 on position #116. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Earnest and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Earnest? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Earnest. The baby boy name Earnest was given to 5 baby boys in 2019, ranking #3850 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 310,199 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Earnest peaked in popularity 116 years ago in 1910 on position 116.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Earnest, 1-5?

Earnest is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Earnest is currently topping the baby name charts in Florida at position #1,819 - and is the least popular in Florida at position #1,819.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Earnest is where you live.

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Earnest origin and meaning

Germanic — respelling of Ernest

Spelling variant of Ernest, from Old German eornost, 'serious, resolute', respelled under the influence of the word earnest

Earnest shadowed Ernest for a century, helped by the English word earnest and Wilde's play on it. It peaked in 1926 and totals 50,397 births, with no row in 2020 or 2025.

Attested etymology

Earnest is a 7 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Earnest, pop culture references for the name Earnest and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Earnest

We've found the following names that sound similar to Earnest, sorted by popularity.

Ernest / Ernesto / Ermias / Ernst /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Earnest

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Earnest a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Earnest?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

UR-nist · /ˈɜrnɪst/

Around the world

No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.

Spellings and nicknames

• Ernest — The standard spelling

Nicknames: Ernie

Famous bearers

None yet — no bearer for this name is documented well enough for us to list, so we show none rather than pad the list.

Style

Classic

Why parents choose it

A sincere, old-fashioned variant that lives in Ernest's shadow and in the shadow of the adjective.

Worth knowing

• Constantly 'corrected' to Ernest; also read as the ordinary word earnest