Earnest

/ UR-nist /
boyvintageclassicseriousliterary

“serious, resolute” — Germanic

—2024 rank
1926peak year
57,005babies named Earnest since 1880
▼ 37%5-year trend

Earnest popularity over 145 years

🌱 Below the charts · roughly undefined% girls / NaN% boys in 2024

peak 192618801920196020002024

What does Earnest mean?

A variant spelling of Ernest, from Germanic ernust meaning 'serious, resolute'. It also plays on the English word earnest, echoing Oscar Wilde's comedy.

OriginGermanic
Syllables2
Genderboy
Stylevintage, classic

Names like Earnest

Same era, same vibe — if you like Earnest, these usually land on the shortlist too.

Famous Earnests

Spellings & variants

ErnestErnstErnie

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