Ernesto
How to say it: er-NESS-toh · /ɜrˈnɛstoʊ/
Spanish/Italian form of Ernest, from Germanic Ernust meaning 'earnest, serious, sincere'.
Ernesto was the 814th most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 272 babies (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 1990s, its births are down about 34% in ten years, and it is projected to slip to #881 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among boys’ names, 2025 | #814 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 272 |
| Share of births | 1 in 12,188 |
| Peak decade | 1990s |
| Change over 10 years | −34% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #881 |
| In France, 2025 | #2,436 among boys’ names, 5 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Use gathered for Ernesto toward a high in the 1990s. Now well below that high and getting rarer, it looks set to slip further.
What goes with it
Rounded and sibilant across three syllables with soft breath. Ernie offers a familiar short form and Antonio stands alongside.
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Ernesto is about under 1 in 200.
Around the world
This spelling is used in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish.
In France: #2,436 for boys in 2025.
Famous people named Ernesto
- Ernesto Valverde (born 1964)Spanish association football player and manager
- Ernesto Sabato (1911–2011)Argentine writer, painter and physicist
- Ernesto Teodoro Moneta (1833–1918)Italian journalist, revolutionary soldier and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
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