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Boy · Germanic
Earnest
Say it: UR-nist
Meaning
A spelling of Ernest influenced by the English word earnest; Ernest is from Germanic ernust 'seriousness, vigour'.
Likelythe main view, with some doubt.
Used in the US around 1880 to 1940.
Its wave through time
Fading since the 1910s
In the United States
- 59,000 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1919, about 1 in 921 boys
- 27 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.