Ebony

Ebony: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “ebony wood”
Origin: English
Say it: EB-uh-nee · 3 syllables
Used for: Girls

Word name from English ebony, ultimately from a term for the dark tropical hardwood. Used as a given name in modern English.

English names American names Names meaning tree Names meaning nature Modern names Nature names

How popular is Ebony?

20246.9 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Ebony in 202423

Peak year1982

Total US babies since 188039,430

Ebony is fading: recent use is about 30% of its level ten years before.

Names like Ebony

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Eboniebony wood · English
Oliviaolive tree · English
Evelyndesired; little bird · English
Harperharp player · English
Violetviolet flower · English
Hazelhazel tree · English
Ellieshort form of names ending in -el or -ella · English
Lilylily flower · English

Ebony questions

What does the name Ebony mean?

Ebony means "ebony wood". It comes from English. Word name from English ebony, ultimately from a term for the dark tropical hardwood. Used as a given name in modern English.

Is Ebony a boy or girl name?

Ebony is mainly a girl's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Ebony?

23 US babies were named Ebony in 2024. Its peak year was 1982.

How do you pronounce Ebony?

Ebony is usually pronounced EB-uh-nee.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.