Erskine
A masculine name of Scottish origin meaning "green rising ground".
Name Census estimates that about 1,033 living Americans carry the first name Erskine. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Erskine today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Erskine births was 1947 (48 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Erskine. 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
1.0K
~ 1 in 331,805 Americans
Peak year
1947
48 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
2011 SSA rank
#12,876
Tracked since 1898
Popularity
Erskine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Erskine from the 1890s through to the 2010s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 324 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Erskine 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 Erskine during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Erskines live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina recorded the most babies named Erskine, while Mississippi, Michigan, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 53 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Erskine
The given name Erskine originated from the Scottish Gaelic language and has its roots in the ancient Clan Erskine, one of the most prominent noble families in Scotland. The name is derived from the Gaelic words "iar" meaning "west" and "sgiath" meaning "wing" or "shelter," suggesting a connection to the western territories under the clan's protection.
The earliest recorded use of the name Erskine dates back to the 12th century, when it was associated with the influential Erskine family who held substantial lands and power in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The name gained prominence during the Middle Ages, with several notable individuals bearing it.
One of the most famous historical figures with the name Erskine was Sir Thomas Erskine (1750-1823), a Scottish lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain. He was renowned for his eloquence and legal acumen, and played a pivotal role in the defense of free speech and civil liberties.
Another prominent figure was Ebenezer Erskine (1680-1754), a Scottish minister and one of the founders of the Secession Church in Scotland. He was a influential preacher and a leader in the evangelical revival movement of the 18th century.
In the realm of literature, John Erskine (1879-1951) was an American educator, author, and literary critic. He served as the president of the Juilliard School of Music and authored several notable works, including "The Kinds of Poetry" and "The Delight of Great Books."
The name Erskine also has connections to the military. Ralph Erskine (1914-2005) was a British Army officer who served in World War II and later became a successful writer, penning books such as "The Borrowed Years" and "The Road to Mandalay."
In the world of sports, Erskine Palmer (1898-1981) was an American professional baseball player who played as a catcher in the Major League Baseball. He was part of the Philadelphia Athletics team that won the World Series in 1929 and 1930.
While the name Erskine may have its roots in Scotland, it has since been embraced by various cultures and societies, carrying with it a rich history and a sense of nobility and distinction.
People
Erskine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Erskine 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
Erskine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Erskine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,033 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Erskine 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 331,805 US residents.
Is Erskine a common name?
We classify Erskine as "Rare". It ranks above 90.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,996 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Erskine most popular?
The single biggest year for Erskine was 1947, when 48 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Erskine is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Erskine a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Erskine 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.
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.