Ethel
How to say it: ETH-uhl · /ˈɛθəl/
From Old English 'aethel' meaning 'noble' - very popular in early 1900s America.
Ethel was the 3,025th most popular girls’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 34 babies (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 1890s, its births are up 2.3-fold in ten years, and it is projected to rise to #2,915 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among girls’ names, 2025 | #3,025 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 34 |
| Share of births | 1 in 97,510 |
| Peak decade | 1890s |
| Change over 10 years | ×2.3 |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #2,915 |
| In France, 2025 | #806 among girls’ names, 35 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Ethel peaked in the 1890s.
What goes with it
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Ethel is about under 1 in 200.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Dutch, English, French, German.
In France: #806 for girls in 2025.
Famous people named Ethel
- Ethel Barrymore (1879–1959)American actress
- Ethel Merman (1908–1984)American actress and singer
- Ethel Lilian Voynich (1864–1960)British writer and musician
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
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