Ernie is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Ernie means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Ernie across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Ernie has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Ernie is a boy name of Germanic origin meaning “serious, resolute”. A pet form of Ernest.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 17,234 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,455 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 19 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 7 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Ernie per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1959 (455/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2024 (141/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2024 (6/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2016 (4/yr).
Ernie has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1959, when it ranked #810 nationally (given to 455 babies that year).
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