Boy · #909 in 2026

Ernesto

Ernesto, a form of the name Ernest, is a masculine given name in several Romance languages. Notable people and characters with the name include:

Current Rank
#909
Peak Rank
#291 (2003)
Total Babies
45K
5-Yr Trend
-13%
1963
First Year
2006
Last Year
1985
Peak Year
#6456
Peak Rank
121
Total Count
19
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Ernesto

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Ernesto, a form of the name Ernest, is a masculine given name in several Romance languages. Notable people and characters with the name include:

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Ernesto

Ernesto first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1889, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2003, when 854 Ernestos were born — ranking #335 that year. As of 2026, Ernesto ranks #909 for baby boys with 259 births, gradually falling (-13%). In total, more than 45K Ernestos have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

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

Notable people named Ernesto

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

  • Ernesto (footballer) (born 1979), Ernesto da Conceição Soares, Cape Verdean footballer
  • Ernesto Abella , Filipino businessman, politician, and writer
  • Ernesto Agard (born 1937), Panamanian basketball player
  • Ernesto Aguero (born 1969), Cuban weightlifter
  • Ernesto Alonso (1917–2007), Mexican actor, director, cinematographer, and producer
  • Ernesto Amantegui Phumipha (born 1990), Thai footballer
  • Ernesto Basile (1857–1932), Italian architect
  • Ernesto Capocci (1798–1864), Italian mathematician, astronomer and politician

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Names that sound like Ernesto

Phonetically similar names — useful when Ernesto 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 Ernesto

What does the name Ernesto mean?
Ernesto, a form of the name Ernest, is a masculine given name in several Romance languages. Notable people and characters with the name include:
How popular is Ernesto in 2026?
In 2026, Ernesto ranks #909 among boys' names in the U.S., with 259 babies given the name that year.
When was Ernesto most popular?
Ernesto reached its peak popularity in 2003, ranking #291 that year with 854 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Ernesto most popular?
Ernesto has historically been most popular in New Mexico, Arizona, Hawaii. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Ernesto.
Is Ernesto a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Ernesto is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Ernesto?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Ernesto include Claud, Armand, Rodrigo. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Ernesto

Ernesto is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1889 and has accumulated 45K births in the dataset. Ernesto's peak popularity came in 2003 when it ranked #291. Use the chart and map above to compare Ernesto's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.