Ernesto

← Back to The Modern Age

Boy · Germanic

Ernesto

Say it: er-NES-toh

Try it with your surname

Meaning

From Germanic ernust 'seriousness, vigour'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

Its wave through time

Most used in the 2000s

In the United States

43,461 babies given this name since 1889
At its height in 2002, about 1 in 2,300 boys
292 babies in 2020

Through the ages

The Modern Age1880 to today

Used by

Mexican Central American Andean Argentine Caribbean Spanish Brazilian

The family of the name

Other spellings: Neto

German	Ernst
English	Ernest

Famous bearers

Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, Argentine revolutionary

Names worth a look

EmilioBoyFrom the Roman family name Aemilius, often linked to Latin aemulus 'rival', though that is not certain.Modern · peak 2020

PabloBoyFrom Latin paulus 'small'.Colonial · peak 2005

AlfonsoBoyVisigothic, from adal 'noble' (or hild 'battle') and funs 'ready, eager'.Early Medieval · peak 1930

DanteBoyA medieval short form of Durante 'enduring, steadfast'.Middle Ages · peak 1998

SalvadorBoySpanish 'saviour', referring to Christ.Colonial · peak 1994

MarcosBoyThe Spanish and Portuguese form of Mark, from Latin Marcus, probably from Mars, the Roman god of war.Middle Ages · peak 2001

ErinGirlFrom Irish Éirinn, a form of Éire 'Ireland', long used poetically for the country.Modern · peak 1983

ErnestBoyFrom Germanic ernust 'seriousness, vigour'.Middle Ages · peak 1880

Where this comes from

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.