Earnest
Earnest is a masculine given name and a surname which may refer to:
- English
Meaning & Origin of Earnest
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Earnest is a masculine given name and a surname which may refer to:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Earnest
American parents first put Earnest on the record books as a baby boy name in 1880, with 88 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1926, when 1,149 Earnests were born — ranking #147 that year. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #5,437 among baby boy names with 17 births, falling sharply (-32%). In total, more than 58K Earnests have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Earnest
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Earnest. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Earnest
Phonetically similar names — useful when Earnest is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Earnest
What does the name Earnest mean?
What is the origin of the name Earnest?
How popular is Earnest in 2026?
When was Earnest most popular?
In which U.S. states is Earnest most popular?
Is Earnest a unisex name?
What names go well with Earnest?
What are nicknames or variants of Earnest?
About the name Earnest
Earnest is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 58K births in the dataset. Earnest's peak popularity came in 1926 when it ranked #104. Use the chart and map above to compare Earnest's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1926 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "E" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.