Earney
Of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 8 living Americans carry the first name Earney. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Earney today is around 78 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Earney births was 1926 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Earney. 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
- • The typical person named Earney is about 78 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Earneys were born before 1958.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Earney. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
8
~ 1 in 42,844,292 Americans
Peak year
1926
7 babies that year
Average age
78
years old
1950 SSA rank
#3,830
Tracked since 1915
Popularity
Earney: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Earney from the 1910s through to the 1950s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 17 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Earney 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 Earney during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Earney
The name Earney is an English given name that has its origins in the Old English word "ear," which means "to plow" or "to till the land." The name likely emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period in England, which lasted from the 5th to the 11th centuries CE.
In its earliest form, the name was likely spelled as "Earnig" or "Earning," and it was commonly used as a surname to identify families or individuals who worked as farmers or landowners. As the English language evolved, the spelling of the name changed to its current form, "Earney."
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Earney can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions an individual named "Earnig" who held land in the county of Devon.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Earney. One of the earliest was Earney of Malmesbury (c. 1080 - c. 1140), an English Benedictine monk and historian who wrote a chronicle of the Abbey of Malmesbury.
Another prominent figure was Sir Earney Whittington (1497 - 1572), an English courtier and diplomat who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1531. He is remembered for his role in the establishment of several charitable foundations in the city.
In the 18th century, Earney Sharpless (1726 - 1812) was a Quaker farmer and abolitionist in Pennsylvania, known for his efforts in promoting the abolition of slavery and advocating for the rights of Native Americans.
During the 19th century, Earney Kemp (1807 - 1891) was an English cricketer who played for the Marylebone Cricket Club and is considered one of the pioneers of the sport.
In more recent times, Earney Trueman (1914 - 2004) was a British trade unionist and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party from 1964 to 1979.
While the name Earney is not as common today as it once was, it has a rich history and connections to various aspects of English culture, including agriculture, religion, politics, and sports.
People
Earney + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Earney 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
Earney: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Earney?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Earney 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 42,844,292 US residents.
Is Earney a common name?
We classify Earney as "Very Rare". It ranks above 24.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 49 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Earney most popular?
The single biggest year for Earney was 1926, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Earney is about 78 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Earney in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Earney a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Earney in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Earney still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Earney in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Earney can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Earney?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.