Ethel
Ethel is an Old English word meaning "noble", today often used as a feminine given name.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Ethel
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Ethel is an Old English word meaning "noble", today often used as a feminine given name.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Ethel
The earliest SSA record of Ethel as a baby girl name dates back to 1880, when 633 babies received it. 1918 was its biggest year on record, with 8,075 newborns named Ethel — #28 in the national rankings. The 1910s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 23% of all recorded Ethels. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #5,008 among baby girl names with 26 births, holding steady (-4%). In total, more than 279K Ethels 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 Ethel
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Ethel. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Ethel
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Ethel Afamado (born 1940), Uruguayan composer, poet, guitarist, and singer-songwriter
- Ethel D. Allen (1929–1981), the first African-American woman to serve on Philadelphia City Council
- Ethel Anderson (1883–1958), Australian poet, essayist, novelist and painter
- Ethel Percy Andrus (1884–1967), educator and founder of AARP
- Ethel Armes (1876–1945), American journalist and historian
- Ethel Armitage (1873–1957), British archer and 1908 Olympic competitor
- Ethel Arnold (1865–1930), English journalist and suffrage lecturer
- Ethel Ayler (1934–2018), American stage and film actress
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Ethel
Phonetically similar names — useful when Ethel 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 Ethel
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About the name Ethel
Ethel is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 279K births in the dataset. Ethel's peak popularity came in 1918 when it ranked #6. Use the chart and map above to compare Ethel's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1918 →
- 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.