Earnestine
Feminine form of the English name Ernest, meaning "resolute and serious".
Name Census estimates that about 5,983 living Americans carry the first name Earnestine. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Earnestine today is around 74 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Earnestine births was 1944 (489 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Earnestine. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Although Earnestine is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 61 boys registered with the name since 1880.
- • The typical person named Earnestine is about 74 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Earnestines were born before 1962.
People living today
6.0K
~ 1 in 57,288 Americans
Peak year
1944
489 babies that year
Average age
74
years old
1944 SSA rank
#3,211
Tracked since 1889
Gender
Gender distribution for Earnestine
Out of the 16,133 babies given the name Earnestine since 1880, 99.6% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Earnestine as a male name
- Ranked #3,211 in 1944
- 6 male births in 1944
- Peak: 1937 (10 births)
Earnestine as a female name
- Ranked #14,041 in 2001
- 6 female births in 2001
- Peak: 1944 (483 births)
Popularity
Earnestine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Earnestine from the 1880s through to the 2000s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 4,404 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Earnestine by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Earnestine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Earnestines live
The SSA's state-level files cover 21 states and territories. Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia recorded the most babies named Earnestine, while Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 678 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Earnestine
The name Earnestine originates from the Old French name Ernest, which itself derives from the Germanic name Arnost. Arnost is composed of the elements arn, meaning "eagle," and hrod, meaning "bright" or "famous." Together, these elements create a name that can be interpreted as "bright as an eagle" or "famous like an eagle."
The name Ernest and its variants, including Earnestine, gained popularity during the Middle Ages in Europe. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Earnestine can be found in the 12th century, when a woman named Earnestine de Ribemont was mentioned in historical records from the region of Picardy, France.
In the 13th century, a German noblewoman named Earnestine von Isenburg-Grenzau lived from around 1220 to 1292. She was a member of the influential Isenburg-Grenzau family and played a role in the political affairs of the region during her lifetime.
During the Renaissance period, the name Earnestine was associated with a few notable figures. Earnestine of Bavaria, born in 1551, was a German princess and the daughter of Albert V, Duke of Bavaria. She later became the Archduchess of Austria through her marriage to Ferdinand II, Archduke of Further Austria.
In the 17th century, Earnestine Desmarests, born in 1610, was a French playwright and novelist known for her tragedies and comedies. She was one of the first female writers to achieve recognition in French literature.
Another notable figure was Earnestine Rose, born in 1810 in Poland. She was a Jewish feminist and activist who campaigned for women's rights, especially in the areas of education and equal employment opportunities. Rose emigrated to the United States and continued her activism there, becoming a prominent figure in the American women's rights movement.
While the name Earnestine has been used throughout history, it has traditionally been more common in certain regions, such as parts of Europe and North America. However, the name's rich history and meaning, reflecting qualities of brightness, fame, and strength, have endured across different cultures and time periods.
People
Earnestine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Earnestine as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Earnestine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Earnestine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5,983 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Earnestine going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,288 US residents.
Is Earnestine a common name?
We classify Earnestine as "Rare". It ranks above 96.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 16,133 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Earnestine most popular?
The single biggest year for Earnestine was 1944, when 489 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Earnestine is about 74 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Earnestine a female name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Earnestine in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.