Name meaning & stats
Ernst
Ernst means “serious, resolute” (Germanic origin). 1,095 US babies since 1940, peak 1940. Notable Ernsts are 2.1× over-represented as professors.
What it means
“serious, resolute”
GermanicSpelling of Ernest
Ernest around the world
- Эрнест · Russian
- Ернест · Ukrainian
- Ερνέστ · Greek
- إرنست · Arabic
- ארנסט · Hebrew
- アーネスト · Japanese
- 歐內斯特 · Chinese
- 어니스트 · Korean
- Ernő · Hungarian
- Ernst · German
Famous Ernests
- Ernest Hemingway · American author and journalist (1899–1961)
- Ernest Rutherford · New Zealand physicist (1871–1937)
- Ernest Lawrence · American nuclear physicist (1901–1958)
- Ernest Renan · French philosopher and writer (1823–1892)
In US birth records
Peak year: 1940
1,095 US babies were named Ernst between 1940 and 2025.
Ernst around the world
- Sweden: 142 babies since 1998, peak 2018, No. 651 in 2022
- Norway: 1,188 babies since 1945, peak 1953
- France: 35 babies since 1900, peak 2020
From official birth registries. Sources are listed on About the data.
Where Ernsts end up
| Career | vs expected | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Professor | 2.1× | High · 103 people |
| Politician | 0.8× | High · 79 people |
| Writer | 1.3× | High · 53 people |
| Footballer | 0.4× | High · 36 people |
Among notable men who are professors, Ernsts show up 2.1× as often as you'd expect from how common the name is.
Notable people of every nationality born 1940–2005 (Wikidata). Patterns, not destiny.
One more thing…
Ernsts are 2.5× more likely than expected to be architects.
The surprise career: Medium confidence · 21 notable people.
Other spellings
1 in 138 Ernests spell it Ernst
Names that sound the same, grouped by Heyotag. Share of US babies since 1940.
Name twins (peaked around 1940)