ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👧As Girl Name 1883 First Year 1959 Last Year 1917 Peak Year #1652 Peak Rank 522 Total Count 51 Years Active 👦As Boy Name 1906 First Year 1957 Last Year 1917 Peak Year #3217 Peak Rank 67 Total Count 12 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Ermine What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. The stoat, also known as the Eurasian ermine or ermine, is a species of mustelid native to Eurasia and the northern regions of North America. Because of its wide circumpolar distribution, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The name ermine is used especially in its pure white winter coat of the stoat or its fur. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoat) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoat) 📜Etymology The root word for "stoat" is likely either the Dutch word stout ("bold") or the Gothic word 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌿𐍄𐌰𐌽 ( stautan , "to push"). According to John Guillim , in his Display of Heraldrie , the word "ermine" is likely derived from Armenia, the nation where it was thought the species originated, though other authors have linked it to the Norman French from the Teutonic harmin ( Anglo-Saxon hearma ). This seems to come from the Lithuanian word šarmu . In North America it is called a short-tailed weasel. A male stoat is called a dog , hob , or jack , while a female is called a jill . The collectiv [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Ermine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/R%C3%B8yskatt_%28Mustela_erminea_erminea%29%2C_Lista%2C_Norway.jpg/330px-R%C3%B8yskatt_%28Mustela_erminea_erminea%29%2C_Lista%2C_Norway.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoat) 📖 ## The Story of Ermine ### As a girl name American parents first put Ermine on the record books as a girl name in 1883, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1917, when 22 Ermines were born — ranking #1,652 that year. The 1910s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 29% of all recorded Ermines. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1959 (7 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 522 Ermines have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name Ermine first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1906, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1917: 7 births, good for #3,217 nationwide. The 1910s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 36% of all recorded Ermines. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1957 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 67 Ermines have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1900s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Ermine Phonetically similar names — useful when Ermine is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Rman * [Erman](/erman) * Urman * [Ermin](/ermin) * [German](/german) * [Herman](/herman) * [Irwin](/irwin) * [Armin](/armin) * [Arman](/arman) * [Irma](/irma) * Airman * [Berman](/berman) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Ermine What does the name Ermine mean? The stoat, also known as the Eurasian ermine or ermine, is a species of mustelid native to Eurasia and the northern regions of North America. Because of its wide circumpolar distribution, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The name ermine is used especially in its pure white winter coat of the stoat or its fur. How popular is Ermine in 2026? In 2026, Ermine ranks #5,031 among girls' names in the U.S., with 7 babies given the name that year. When was Ermine most popular? Ermine reached its peak popularity in 1917, ranking #1,652 that year with 22 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Ermine most popular? Ermine has historically been most popular in Texas. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Ermine. Is Ermine a unisex name? Yes — Ermine is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 89% of Ermines assigned female and 11% assigned male historically. What names go well with Ermine? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Ermine include Artelia, Girlie, Zamora. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧ArteliaPeak #1652](/artelia)[👧GirliePeak #1652](/girlie)[👧ZamoraPeak #1652](/zamora)[👧GeniePeak #1653](/genie) ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦AmziePeak #3217](/amzie)[👦PrintesPeak #3217](/printes)[👦VanburenPeak #3217](/vanburen)[👦CasparPeak #3217](/caspar) ## About the name Ermine Ermine is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1883 and has accumulated 522 births in the dataset. Ermine's peak popularity came in 1917 when it ranked #1,652\. Use the chart and map above to compare Ermine's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1917 → ](/year/1917) * [ Names of the 1910s → ](/decade/1910s) * [ Names starting with "E" → ](/letter/e) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.