Ernie

Ernie: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “serious, resolute”
Origin: English
Say it: UR-nee · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys (96% of all uses)

English diminutive of Ernest. Ernest comes from Germanic Ernst, meaning 'seriousness' or 'earnestness'.

English names Names meaning strength Classic names Short names

How popular is Ernie?

20244.2 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 Ernie in 202414

Peak year1945

Total US babies since 188017,215

Ernie is steady now but far below its 1945 peak.

Names like Ernie

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Ernestserious; resolute · Germanic
Ernestoserious, resolute · Germanic
Earnestserious, sincere · English
Ernestineserious, resolute · Germanic
Earnestineserious, resolute · Germanic
JackGod is gracious · English
Hudsonson of Hudd · English
Jacksonson of Jack · English

Ernie questions

What does the name Ernie mean?

Ernie means "serious, resolute". It comes from English. English diminutive of Ernest. Ernest comes from Germanic Ernst, meaning 'seriousness' or 'earnestness'.

Is Ernie a boy or girl name?

Ernie is mainly a boy's name in US records (96% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Ernie?

14 US babies were named Ernie in 2024. Its peak year was 1945.

How do you pronounce Ernie?

Ernie is usually pronounced UR-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.