Erris
Of unknown etymology and origin, potentially from a Celtic language.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Erris. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Erris today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Erris births was 1916 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Erris. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Erris with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Erris. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1916
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1916 SSA rank
#4,112
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Erris: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Erris 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 Erris during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Erris
The given name Erris is believed to have its origins in the ancient Celtic language of the British Isles, dating back to the Iron Age around the 6th century BCE. It is thought to be derived from the Proto-Celtic word *eri, meaning "to rise" or "to go up," suggesting a possible connection to the rising sun or high places.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Erris can be found in the Annals of Ulster, an ancient chronicle of medieval Irish history. In the entry for the year 1188, it mentions a man named Erris O'Doherty, a chieftain of the O'Doherty clan in County Donegal, Ireland.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Erris. One such person was Erris of Auxerre, a 6th-century saint and bishop of Auxerre, France, who was known for his charitable works and contributions to the spread of Christianity in the region.
Another figure of note was Erris the Scribe, a 9th-century Irish monk who is credited with the creation of the Book of Armagh, a highly illuminated manuscript containing the life of St. Patrick and other important texts related to early Irish Christianity.
In the 13th century, there was Erris de Valoniis, a prominent Norman knight and landowner in England, who served as Lord of Panmure and Benvie in Scotland during the reign of King John.
Moving forward in time, Erris McConnell (1853-1939) was a Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Avon Products company and played a significant role in its growth and success in the early 20th century.
Additionally, Erris Hubbard (1920-2008) was an American civil rights activist and lawyer who worked tirelessly to desegregate public schools and housing in his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut, and played a crucial role in the landmark Supreme Court case of Sheff v. O'Neill.
People
Erris + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Erris 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
Erris: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Erris?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Erris 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 - US residents.
Is Erris a common name?
We classify Erris as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Erris most popular?
The single biggest year for Erris was 1916, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Erris is about 0 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 Erris in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Erris a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Erris 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 Erris still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Erris 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 Erris 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 Americans are named Erris?
See how many Americans are named Erris on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.