The first name Ernest
A boy’s name meaning “vigor”, “strife”.
Pronounced /ˈɜː(ɹ)nɪst/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Ernest means “vigor”, “strife”.
Borrowed in the 18th century from Ernst, a medieval royal name in Germany, from Old High German ernust (“vigor, strife”), only remotely related to modern German ernst or English earnest.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 185 boys were named Ernest, making it the 252nd most popular boys’ name.
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Ernest with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Ernest at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 213 boys born in the United States were named Ernest, the 1,040th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1921, when 5,697 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Ernest in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Ernest in Catalan, French, Polish and Romanian too.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Ernest
348 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Ernest HemingwayAmerican author and journalist (1899–1961)
- Ernest LawrenceAmerican nuclear physicist (1901–1958)
- Ernest RenanFrench philosopher and writer (1823–1892)
- Ernest BorgnineAmerican actor (1917–2012)
- Ernest ShackletonAnglo-Irish Antarctic explorer (1874–1922)
- Ernest BevinBritish labour leader, politician, and statesman (1881-1951)
- Ernest GellnerCzech anthropologist, philosopher and sociologist, 1925–1995
- Ernest SolvayBelgian chemist, industrialist, philanthropist (1838-1922)
- Ernest Thompson SetonBritish/American author, artist and naturalist, and one of the founders of the scouting mo, 1860–1946
- Ernest, Duke of AustriaDuke of Austria (1377-1424)
- Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and GothaDuke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1784-1844)
- Ernest ChaussonFrench composer (1855–1899)
Questions
- What does the name Ernest mean?
- Ernest means “vigor”, “strife”.
- How popular is the name Ernest?
- In 2025, 185 boys born in England and Wales were named Ernest, ranking 252nd.
- What are nicknames for Ernest?
- Common nicknames for Ernest include Ernie, Ern.
- Is Ernest a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 99% of the 304,354 US babies named Ernest since 1880 were boys.
- When was Ernest most popular?
- 1921 in the United States, when 5,697 babies were named Ernest, its highest rank at 38th.
- How do you pronounce Ernest?
- Ernest is /ˈɜː(ɹ)nɪst/, 2 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Ernest?
- Earnest.
- Is Ernest also a surname?
- Yes. Ernest is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.