Ernest Forename
909th
Most Common
name in the World
Approximately 987,647 people bear this name
Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Ghana
Ernest Forename Definition:
A male name. Old German Ernust, MGer Ernst, ‘vigour’, ‘earnestness’. The name was apparently introduced into England in the late 18th C by the Hanoverians (e.g. Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland 1771-1851), but did not come into general use until the middle of the 19th C.
Read More About This ForenameErnest Forename Distribution
| Place | Gender | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 100% | 241,875 | 1:1,499 | 318 |
| Ghana | 100% | 146,982 | 1:184 | 25 |
| Nigeria | 100% | 57,211 | 1:3,104 | 565 |
| Tanzania | 99% | 42,349 | 1:1,247 | 264 |
| South Africa | 100% | 41,002 | 1:1,330 | 187 |
| Cameroon | 100% | 40,623 | 1:532 | 86 |
| DR Congo | 99% | 40,552 | 1:1,821 | 317 |
| Burundi | 100% | 37,655 | 1:263 | 33 |
| England | 100% | 36,995 | 1:1,503 | 285 |
| Rwanda | 100% | 29,731 | 1:382 | 67 |
| Sierra Leone | - | 18,580 | 1:382 | 93 |
| Canada | 100% | 18,547 | 1:1,786 | 379 |
| Zambia | - | 17,934 | 1:884 | 199 |
| Malawi | 100% | 17,810 | 1:961 | 212 |
| Zimbabwe | 99% | 16,544 | 1:932 | 161 |
| Kenya | 100% | 15,990 | 1:2,896 | 505 |
| Madagascar | 100% | 14,813 | 1:1,595 | 373 |
| Central African Republic | - | 10,376 | 1:435 | 180 |
| France | 100% | 9,978 | 1:6,662 | 515 |
| Poland | 100% | 8,953 | 1:4,247 | 287 |
| Benin | 100% | 7,116 | 1:1,486 | 346 |
| Russia | 100% | 6,142 | 1:23,483 | 596 |
| Mozambique | - | 5,760 | 1:4,730 | 908 |
| Jamaica | - | 5,749 | 1:502 | 103 |
| Slovakia | 100% | 5,240 | 1:1,013 | 146 |
| Uganda | 99% | 5,158 | 1:7,940 | 852 |
| Liberia | 100% | 4,470 | 1:987 | 192 |
| Ivory Coast | 99% | 4,368 | 1:5,283 | 605 |
| Philippines | 99% | 4,282 | 1:24,757 | 2,376 |
| Haiti | 100% | 3,957 | 1:2,711 | 416 |
| Ethiopia | 100% | 3,468 | 1:28,132 | 3,442 |
| Burkina Faso | 99% | 3,274 | 1:5,614 | 707 |
| Belgium | 100% | 2,920 | 1:3,935 | 667 |
| Togo | - | 2,802 | 1:2,584 | 421 |
| Sudan | 100% | 2,776 | 1:13,619 | 1,511 |
| Spain | 100% | 2,740 | 1:16,982 | 1,059 |
| Guinea | 100% | 2,317 | 1:5,118 | 492 |
| Switzerland | 100% | 2,143 | 1:3,833 | 591 |
| Scotland | 100% | 1,881 | 1:2,844 | 350 |
| Wales | 100% | 1,842 | 1:1,680 | 332 |
| Sri Lanka | - | 1,788 | 1:11,633 | 1,701 |
| Ukraine | 99% | 1,782 | 1:25,533 | 395 |
| Netherlands | 100% | 1,748 | 1:9,669 | 1,209 |
| Uzbekistan | 97% | 1,747 | 1:17,622 | 1,611 |
| Indonesia | 100% | 1,531 | 1:168,494 | 16,996 |
| Congo | 100% | 1,452 | 1:3,450 | 561 |
| Gabon | 100% | 1,443 | 1:1,305 | 312 |
| Botswana | 100% | 1,324 | 1:1,650 | 293 |
| Egypt | - | 1,301 | 1:70,639 | 3,612 |
| Luxembourg | 100% | 1,249 | 1:452 | 107 |
| Austria | 100% | 1,233 | 1:6,905 | 530 |
| Slovenia | 100% | 1,165 | 1:2,111 | 378 |
| Senegal | 100% | 1,164 | 1:12,527 | 883 |
| Albania | 100% | 1,064 | 1:2,863 | 603 |
| Chad | 100% | 989 | 1:13,750 | 2,154 |
| Germany | 100% | 900 | 1:107,420 | 2,208 |
| Papua New Guinea | 97% | 880 | 1:9,264 | 936 |
| Saudi Arabia | - | 874 | 1:35,255 | 4,434 |
| Ireland | 100% | 816 | 1:5,691 | 529 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 99% | 813 | 1:7,347 | 1,141 |
| Australia | - | 711 | 1:19,209 | 1,385 |
| Croatia | 100% | 711 | 1:5,931 | 598 |
| Lesotho | 99% | 658 | 1:3,100 | 469 |
| Czechia | 100% | 656 | 1:16,244 | 522 |
| Northern Ireland | 100% | 640 | 1:2,880 | 404 |
| New Zealand | - | 638 | 1:7,110 | 876 |
| Armenia | 100% | 630 | 1:4,633 | 578 |
| Swaziland | - | 615 | 1:2,114 | 472 |
| Bahamas | - | 611 | 1:654 | 159 |
| Mali | 100% | 608 | 1:27,924 | 1,823 |
| Brazil | 100% | 553 | 1:387,407 | 13,835 |
| Malaysia | 93% | 548 | 1:55,566 | 4,473 |
| India | 100% | 533 | 1:2,279,321 | 113,980 |
| Dominican Republic | - | 494 | 1:21,116 | 1,948 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 100% | 471 | 1:2,890 | 560 |
| Hong Kong | - | 444 | 1:17,461 | 2,039 |
| Belarus | 100% | 407 | 1:23,298 | 376 |
| Singapore | 100% | 374 | 1:16,810 | 3,414 |
| French Polynesia | - | 346 | 1:803 | 178 |
| Lebanon | 83% | 339 | 1:16,601 | 1,393 |
| Belize | 100% | 333 | 1:1,064 | 213 |
| Tajikistan | 100% | 324 | 1:25,849 | 1,663 |
| Georgia | 100% | 323 | 1:11,574 | 1,003 |
| Namibia | - | 319 | 1:7,537 | 984 |
| Guyana | 100% | 303 | 1:2,519 | 494 |
| Barbados | - | 271 | 1:1,069 | 249 |
| Romania | 100% | 264 | 1:75,954 | 3,672 |
| Solomon Islands | 100% | 230 | 1:2,526 | 409 |
| Kazakhstan | 99% | 221 | 1:80,302 | 2,694 |
| Morocco | - | 218 | 1:157,563 | 4,496 |
| Malta | - | 216 | 1:1,988 | 379 |
| Vanuatu | - | 212 | 1:1,235 | 346 |
| Fiji | - | 201 | 1:4,440 | 1,122 |
| China | - | 190 | 1:7,189,767 | 59,373 |
| Lithuania | 100% | 185 | 1:15,956 | 752 |
| Serbia | 100% | 184 | 1:38,835 | 1,809 |
| Samoa | - | 183 | 1:1,067 | 329 |
| Thailand | 100% | 178 | 1:393,628 | 20,142 |
| New Caledonia | 100% | 174 | 1:1,553 | 337 |
| Sweden | 99% | 163 | 1:60,478 | 3,001 |
| Italy | 99% | 160 | 1:381,638 | 4,452 |
| Saint Lucia | 99% | 145 | 1:1,226 | 200 |
| Greece | 100% | 142 | 1:77,004 | 2,309 |
| Venezuela | 100% | 125 | 1:241,615 | 8,265 |
| Mexico | 100% | 124 | 1:1,001,165 | 8,115 |
| United States Virgin Islands | - | 117 | 1:938 | 185 |
| Gibraltar | - | 113 | 1:302 | 54 |
| Latvia | 100% | 111 | 1:18,159 | 872 |
| Guam | - | 108 | 1:1,487 | 332 |
| Norway | 100% | 108 | 1:47,522 | 2,000 |
| Kosovo | - | 99 | 1:18,802 | 2,195 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | - | 96 | 1:1,035 | 195 |
| Jersey | - | 88 | 1:1,136 | 244 |
| Portugal | - | 83 | 1:125,432 | 3,169 |
| Japan | - | 81 | 1:1,580,075 | 17,983 |
| Panama | 100% | 78 | 1:50,084 | 3,339 |
| Azerbaijan | 97% | 73 | 1:132,095 | 5,169 |
| Seychelles | 100% | 71 | 1:1,305 | 317 |
| Chile | 84% | 70 | 1:251,532 | 4,138 |
| Denmark | - | 69 | 1:81,877 | 2,555 |
| Turkmenistan | 100% | 67 | 1:81,685 | 1,014 |
| Suriname | 100% | 66 | 1:8,376 | 1,618 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 100% | 62 | 1:885 | 176 |
| Cayman Islands | 100% | 61 | 1:1,005 | 219 |
| Dominica | - | 61 | 1:1,237 | 229 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 100% | 61 | 1:1,829 | 348 |
| Kuwait | - | 57 | 1:66,408 | 5,422 |
| Grenada | 100% | 55 | 1:1,966 | 416 |
| Bermuda | - | 51 | 1:1,271 | 283 |
| Gambia | - | 49 | 1:39,318 | 298 |
| Pakistan | 90% | 48 | 1:4,049,118 | 41,937 |
| Ecuador | - | 47 | 1:377,168 | 4,669 |
| Estonia | 100% | 46 | 1:28,595 | 2,108 |
| Iraq | 100% | 43 | 1:814,369 | 7,317 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 100% | 40 | 1:868 | 188 |
| Hungary | 100% | 39 | 1:251,071 | 1,219 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | - | 38 | 1:1,439 | 300 |
| American Samoa | - | 37 | 1:1,509 | 210 |
| British Virgin Islands | 100% | 35 | 1:893 | 190 |
| Marshall Islands | 100% | 35 | 1:1,464 | 208 |
| Aruba | - | 33 | 1:3,145 | 634 |
| Honduras | 100% | 33 | 1:267,196 | 5,436 |
| Mauritius | - | 31 | 1:41,864 | 2,783 |
| Qatar | 100% | 31 | 1:76,439 | 9,122 |
| South Korea | - | 31 | 1:178,852 | 7,173 |
| Andorra | - | 28 | 1:2,960 | 312 |
| Costa Rica | 100% | 26 | 1:183,383 | 4,417 |
| Finland | 100% | 26 | 1:210,892 | 3,527 |
| Montenegro | 100% | 26 | 1:24,407 | 1,647 |
| Angola | 100% | 25 | 1:1,078,664 | 2,481 |
| Argentina | 87% | 24 | 1:1,782,218 | 7,077 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 100% | 24 | 1:146,852 | 3,281 |
| Cyprus | 100% | 24 | 1:36,295 | 1,736 |
| Moldova | 100% | 24 | 1:148,381 | 1,535 |
| United Arab Emirates | - | 24 | 1:298,000 | 16,364 |
| Peru | 100% | 23 | 1:1,382,237 | 16,311 |
| Puerto Rico | - | 22 | 1:161,377 | 2,338 |
| Guernsey | - | 21 | 1:3,016 | 423 |
| Oman | - | 19 | 1:216,246 | 3,325 |
| Afghanistan | - | 17 | 1:1,919,030 | 17,461 |
| Colombia | 100% | 16 | 1:2,986,183 | 20,922 |
| Taiwan | 100% | 16 | 1:1,485,605 | 45,572 |
| Cuba | - | 13 | 1:885,119 | 3,536 |
| Bulgaria | 100% | 12 | 1:582,532 | 8,434 |
| Anguilla | 100% | 11 | 1:1,205 | 212 |
| Guatemala | 100% | 11 | 1:1,464,403 | 5,160 |
| Bahrain | - | 9 | 1:149,853 | 3,890 |
| Equatorial Guinea | - | 9 | 1:126,410 | 509 |
| Tunisia | - | 9 | 1:75,211 | 3,284 |
| Uruguay | - | 9 | 1:380,849 | 5,148 |
| Jordan | 92% | 7 | 1:1,260,968 | 6,027 |
| Nauru | 100% | 7 | 1:1,704 | 249 |
| Paraguay | 100% | 7 | 1:1,033,829 | 6,926 |
| Macau | - | 6 | 1:101,368 | 818 |
| Transnistria | 100% | 6 | 1:79,273 | 1,016 |
| Israel | 56% | 5 | 1:1,680,584 | 18,495 |
| Monaco | 100% | 5 | 1:7,693 | 1,062 |
| Niger | - | 5 | 1:3,836,799 | 37,767 |
| Bangladesh | - | 4 | 1:39,865,342 | 24,379 |
| Iran | - | 4 | 1:19,624,217 | 40,893 |
| North Macedonia | 100% | 4 | 1:522,689 | 9,487 |
| Micronesia | - | 4 | 1:26,625 | 714 |
| Palestine | 100% | 4 | 1:1,137,514 | 4,137 |
| Turkey | 50% | 4 | 1:19,450,427 | 45,600 |
| Vietnam | - | 4 | 1:23,155,778 | 5,302 |
| Nicaragua | 100% | 3 | 1:2,006,112 | 19,543 |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 100% | 3 | 1:2,105 | 306 |
| Abkhazia | - | 2 | 1:121,711 | 2,524 |
| Brunei | - | 2 | 1:209,785 | 2,478 |
| Iceland | - | 2 | 1:183,008 | 5,215 |
| Liechtenstein | - | 2 | 1:18,928 | 806 |
| Mauritania | - | 2 | 1:2,047,620 | 19,390 |
| Algeria | - | 1 | 1:38,176,720 | 32,669 |
| Bolivia | - | 1 | 1:10,601,404 | 9,299 |
| Cambodia | - | 1 | 1:16,273,330 | 74,610 |
| Comoros | - | 1 | 1:761,339 | 901 |
| Cook Islands | - | 1 | 1:18,153 | 1,349 |
| Curaçao | - | 1 | 1:155,803 | 1,239 |
| Djibouti | - | 1 | 1:915,664 | 2,132 |
| El Salvador | - | 1 | 1:6,341,786 | 16,428 |
| Isle of Man | 100% | 1 | 1:85,023 | 723 |
| Laos | - | 1 | 1:6,586,856 | 1,888 |
| Libya | - | 1 | 1:6,221,309 | 3,060 |
| Montserrat | - | 1 | 1:4,876 | 752 |
| Northern Cyprus | 60% | 1 | 1:318,133 | 3,044 |
| Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | - | 1 | 1:5,829 | 386 |
| Saint Martin | - | 1 | 1:35,746 | 277 |
| San Marino | - | 1 | 1:32,920 | 787 |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | - | 1 | 1:191,997 | 5,295 |
| Somalia | - | 1 | 1:13,525,867 | 7,760 |
| South Sudan | 100% | 1 | 1:11,551,019 | 3,224 |
| Syria | - | 1 | 1:19,306,075 | 9,560 |
| Tonga | - | 1 | 1:107,436 | 779 |
| Yemen | - | 1 | 1:26,296,751 | 14,474 |
The alternate forms: Érnest (1) are calculated separately.
Ernest (137,860) may also be a surname.
Ernest Forename Meaning
From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history
A male name. Old German Ernust, MGer Ernst, ‘vigour’, ‘earnestness’. The name was apparently introduced into England in the late 18th C by the Hanoverians (e.g. Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland 1771-1851), but did not come into general use until the middle of the 19th C. The name Ernis or Erneis (Latin Ernisius, French Hernays, Hernais), which was common from the 11th to 13th C and gave rise to such surnames as Harness, was probably Old German Arnegis and not a form of Ernest. Lyford 1655 gives Ernestus, but specifies that it is German, and there is no evidence of its use in England at that time.
— The Oxford Dictionary of Christian Names (1947) by E. G. Withycombe
Originally German (Ernst), it was, by 1860, ‘working its way into England, though not yet with a naturalized sound.’ Charlotte Yonge questions whether it may not derive, not from German ernst, ‘grave,’ ‘serious,’ but from Scandinavian aar, German ar, A. -S. earn (in Scottish, erne), ‘an eagle,’ especially as the older German form was Arnust: with this etymology, cf. that of Arnold.
— Name This Child (1959) by Eric Partridge
From the Old German ernst, which Wachter renders ‘ardent and vehement desire for study.’
— Prænomina (1882) by Richard Stephen Charnock
Teutonic (masculine) - Earnest-minded.
— What is Your Name? (1863) by Sophy Moody
A Teutonic name, meaning: With serious purpose.
— Dictionary of Given Names with Origins and Meanings (1934) by Flora Haines Loughead
Ernest Forename Popularity
Ernest Demographics
Ernest Political Affiliation
in United States
Sample size: 50,256 (2014)
United States
Average
Phonetically Similar Names
Ernest Name Transliterations
| Transliteration | ICU Latin | Percentage of Incidence |
|---|---|---|
| Ernest in the Russian language | ||
| Эрнест | ernest | - |
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Footnotes
- First names are taken from the first part of an person's personal name. That is, not their inherited name(s), i.e. their surname(s). The first name includes particles, but not middle names
- Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
- Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
- Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
- Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
- Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
- Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Ernest