# Ephraim (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/ephraim/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | “ephraim”, “fruitful” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈifɹi.əm/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 8,236 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 8,236 / 0 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 548, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Hebrew אֶפְרַיִם (Efráyim, “Ephraim”, literally “fruitful”), via Latin.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 174 | 1,074 |
| 2012 | 199 | 1,002 |
| 2013 | 210 | 951 |
| 2014 | 229 | 929 |
| 2015 | 231 | 925 |
| 2016 | 254 | 871 |
| 2017 | 260 | 848 |
| 2018 | 223 | 939 |
| 2019 | 221 | 970 |
| 2020 | 210 | 1,005 |
| 2021 | 229 | 974 |
| 2022 | 202 | 1,080 |
| 2023 | 224 | 979 |
| 2024 | 232 | 976 |
| 2025 | 231 | 988 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 21 | 1,209 |
| 2012 | 31 | 947 |
| 2013 | 19 | 1,294 |
| 2014 | 18 | 1,370 |
| 2015 | 21 | 1,236 |
| 2016 | 19 | 1,363 |
| 2017 | 21 | 1,247 |
| 2018 | 16 | 1,533 |
| 2019 | 17 | 1,439 |
| 2020 | 21 | 1,230 |
| 2021 | 15 | 1,595 |
| 2022 | 17 | 1,469 |
| 2023 | 27 | 1,071 |
| 2024 | 32 | 968 |
| 2025 | 27 | 1,093 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: أَفْرَايِم
- Armenian: Եփրեմ
- Catalan: Efraïm
- Chinese: 伊弗雷姆
- Dutch: Efraïm
- French: Éphraïm
- Greek: Εφραίμ
- Hebrew: אֶפְרָיִם
- Indonesian: Efraim
- Irish: Eafráím
- Italian: Efraimo
- Polish: Efraim
- Portuguese: Efraim
- Russian: Ефре́м
- Spanish: Efraín, Efrén

## People named Ephraim

- Ephraim Chambers, English writer and encyclopaedist
- Ephraim McDowell, American physician (1771-1830)
- Ephraim George Squier, American archaeologist and newspaper editor (1821–1888)
- Ephraim King Wilson II, American politician (1821-1891)
- Ephraim Graham, equestrian (1888–1962)
- Ephraim of Nea Makri, controversial Christian saint
- Ephraim Longworth, English footballer (1887–1968)
- Ephraim Bateman, American politician (1780-1829)
- Ephraim II of Georgia, Eastern Orthodox Patriarch (1896–1972)
- Ephraim Avigdor Speiser, American archaeologist (1902–1965)
- Ephraim H. Foster, American politician (1794-1854)
- Ephraim Shay, American railroad engineer

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.