Ebone
Feminine variant of "Ebony", deriving from the dark-hued wood.
Name Census estimates that about 1,127 living Americans carry the first name Ebone. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ebone today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ebone births was 1993 (98 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ebone. 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.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 304,130 Americans
Peak year
1993
98 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2003 SSA rank
#16,491
Tracked since 1974
Census
Ebone in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 943 people with the first name Ebone, which placed it at #12,972 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#12,972
National first-name rank
People counted
943
943 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
92.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ebone
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ebone is Black at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ebone described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ebone at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.4% · 871
- Two or more races3.9% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 20
- White1.4% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Ebone: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ebone from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 548 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ebone 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 Ebone during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ebones live
The SSA's state-level files cover 18 states and territories. Texas, California, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Ebone, while Ohio, Michigan, District of Columbia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 22 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ebone
The name Ebone is derived from the French word "ebene," which means ebony, a dense black wood. This name has its origins in the French language and culture, and it is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages or the Renaissance period in Europe.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ebone can be found in the 16th century French play "L'Heptaméron" by Marguerite de Navarre. In this work, a character named Ebone appears, suggesting that the name was in use during that era.
Throughout history, the name Ebone has been associated with individuals from various walks of life. One notable figure was Ebone de Buren, a Dutch artist who lived in the 17th century and was known for her intricate portraiture and landscape paintings.
In the realm of literature, Ebone Fenelon was a French novelist and poet who lived in the 19th century. Her works often explored themes of love, loss, and the complexities of human relationships.
In the field of music, Ebone Jessye was an American opera singer who performed during the 20th century. She was known for her powerful voice and her interpretations of roles in operas such as "Aida" and "Porgy and Bess."
Another notable figure bearing the name Ebone was Ebone Sinclair, a British activist and advocate for women's rights who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She played a significant role in the suffragette movement and fought tirelessly for gender equality.
Finally, in the world of politics, Ebone Dubois was a French politician who served in the National Assembly during the 18th century. She was known for her progressive views and her advocacy for social reforms.
While the name Ebone may not be as common today as it once was, its historical significance and associations with individuals from various fields and time periods make it a name with a rich and fascinating heritage.
People
Ebone + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ebone 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
Ebone: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ebone?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,127 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ebone 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 304,130 US residents.
Is Ebone a common name?
We classify Ebone as "Rare". It ranks above 90.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,182 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ebone most popular?
The single biggest year for Ebone was 1993, when 98 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ebone is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ebone in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 943 people with the name Ebone, or 0.31 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,972 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ebone in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ebone?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ebone leans strongly female. 926 people counted with this name were female (98.5%), compared with 14 male bearers (1.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ebone?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ebone is Black at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ebone most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Ebone in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (871 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Ebone in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ebone a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ebone 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.
Is Ebone still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ebone 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 Ebone 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.
How common is the name Ebone?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Ebone at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.