Ernie

Did you know?

A few things about Ernie you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Ernie

Ernie Brandts

Dutch association football player and manager

Choose Ernie and your child shares a first name with Ernie Brandts, a Dutch association football player and manager. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Ernie, like who?” Ernie Brandts's Wikipedia article is available in 25 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Ernie Brandts on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Hans Peters for Anefo, CC0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 95,238 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Ernie, 18 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Ernie would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryErnie has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Ernies, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1945, when it ranked #304. Today it's #5,208, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📉Then vs nowErnie was 3.2× more common in 2000 than it is today. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 30,211 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 95,238.
• 🍂TrendErnie has slipped 1,188 places over the last five years and now sits at #5,208. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningErnie is an English form of Ernest, which means “serious, resolute”. Our records link it to English and German roots.

About the name Ernie

Ernie is a boy name of English and German origin meaning “serious, resolute”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with E and ending in “-nie”. US birth records list Ernie for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 144 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1945, when it ranked #304 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #5,208, with 18 babies.

Origin:English namesGerman names