Earnest
Boy name · #4139 in 2025 · Uniqueness 83/100
Earnest is currently the #4139 boy name in the United States — 25 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #3365, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 72,000 boys born in 2025 was named Earnest.
Babies named Earnest per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
The 145-year story
Earnest first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 88 boys received the name. Its peak came in 1926, when 1,149 boys were named Earnest — good for #147 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Earnest against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Earnest in class?
Earnest scores 83 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. A high score means genuine rarity — your Earnest will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Earnest is most common
State-level data for Earnest is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Earnest
Statistically, parents drawn to Earnest tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Hubert, Herbert, Rudolph, Wilfred, and Russel.
HubertHerbertRudolphWilfredRusselRufusWilburJohnnie
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Earnest | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 25 | #4139 |
| 2024 | 17 | #5443 |
| 2023 | 24 | #4343 |
| 2022 | 24 | #4303 |
| 2021 | 21 | #4628 |
| 2020 | 28 | #3734 |
| 2019 | 27 | #3899 |
| 2018 | 40 | #2943 |
| 2017 | 32 | #3440 |
| 2016 | 24 | #4199 |
| 2015 | 33 | #3365 |
| 2014 | 37 | #3038 |
| 2013 | 31 | #3405 |
| 2012 | 50 | #2488 |
| 2011 | 53 | #2376 |
| 2010 | 37 | #3072 |
| 2009 | 44 | #2753 |
| 2008 | 51 | #2467 |
| 2007 | 50 | #2504 |
| 2006 | 59 | #2176 |
| 2005 | 49 | #2365 |
| 2004 | 56 | #2102 |
| 2003 | 50 | #2180 |
| 2002 | 63 | #1817 |
| 2001 | 69 | #1677 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Earnest a popular boy name?
Earnest ranked #4139 among boys in 2025 with 25 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #3365.
When was the name Earnest most popular?
Earnest peaked in 1926, when 1,149 American boys received the name (ranked #147 that year). Since 1926 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Earnest?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 72,000 newborn American boys was named Earnest. It scores 83/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.