Erna
Erna is a Germanic feminine given name. It is a simplified version of Ernesta, in turn from Ernest. People with the name include:Erna Aaltonen, Finnish ceramist Erna von Abendroth (1887–1959), German nurse and trainer/teacher Erna Auerbach (1897–1975), German-born British artist and art historian Erna Barschak (1888–1958), German teacher and psychologist Erna Baumbauer (1919–2010), German casting…
- German
- Dutch
- Danish
- Norwegian
Meaning & Origin of Erna
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Erna is a Germanic feminine given name. It is a simplified version of Ernesta, in turn from Ernest. People with the name include:Erna Aaltonen, Finnish ceramist Erna von Abendroth (1887–1959), German nurse and trainer/teacher Erna Auerbach (1897–1975), German-born British artist and art historian Erna Barschak (1888–1958), German teacher and psychologist Erna Baumbauer (1919–2010), German casting…
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- German
- Dutch
- Danish
- Norwegian
- Swedish
- Slovene
- Norse Mythology
- Icelandic
The Story of Erna
American parents first put Erna on the record books as a baby girl name in 1880, with 10 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1916, when 358 Ernas were born — ranking #321 that year. The 1910s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 27% of all recorded Ernas. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2021 (6 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 9K Ernas 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 Erna
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Erna. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Erni
Names that sound like Erna
Phonetically similar names — useful when Erna 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 Erna
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About the name Erna
Erna is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 9K births in the dataset. Erna's peak popularity came in 1916 when it ranked #321. Use the chart and map above to compare Erna's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1916 →
- Names of the 1910s →
- Names starting with "E" →
- Browse all girl 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.