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Ernst

Ernst is a boy's name of German origin meaning “vigor, strife.” It is a rare choice in US records.

Ernst at a glance

Gender
Boy name
Origin
German · Scandinavian
Meaning
“vigor, strife”
Also spelled
Ernest

About the name Ernst

Ernst belongs to the German and Scandinavian tradition. Its meaning — “vigor, strife” — is the sense carried by its German roots, and it is the meaning we verified against published sources for this page. It travels in a few spellings: Ernest.

In the United States, Ernst first appears in Social Security records in 1880. It climbed to its best-ever rank of #417 in 1885, and in 2024 0 babies received the name — 2,383 in total since 1880. Those are the official counts, not estimates.

Ernst in US records

First recorded (US)
1880
Best US rank
#417 in 1885
Peak year
1917
Total since 1880
2,383

Spellings & short forms

Ernest

Similar names

More names from the German shelf:

PaulGermanFrankGermanAlexanderGermanWalterGermanRalphGermanPhilipGermanLeonardGermanFrancisGerman

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Ernst mean?

Ernst means “vigor, strife” in its German roots. We check every meaning against published sources before it appears here.

Is Ernst a boy or girl name?

Ernst is a boy name.

What origin is the name Ernst?

Ernst comes from the German and Scandinavian tradition. It is also spelled Ernest.

How popular is the name Ernst?

Ernst first appears in US records in 1880. Its best-ever ranking was #417 in 1885, and 0 babies were given the name in 2024.

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Meaning and origin for this page were checked against this source. US popularity figures are from the Social Security Administration's public baby-names data. If you spot an error, write to [email protected] — accuracy is the whole point of this site, and corrections are made fast.