girl's name
Ernestine
UR-nes-teen
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 9
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 59,749
Ernestine is the feminine of the same Germanic word as Earnest in this group — eornost, the vigor of a fight. France reached 750 births in 1902, a generation ahead of the American figure, and the name has faded in both markets since.
- Ernestine is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in 1928, when 1,067 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Ernestine over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2021, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 322 |
| 1890s | 679 |
| 1900s | 1,238 |
| 1910s | 5,217 |
| 1920s | 9,661 |
| 1930s | 8,594 |
| 1940s | 7,982 |
| 1950s | 5,669 |
| 1960s | 2,913 |
| 1970s | 999 |
| 1980s | 552 |
| 1990s | 237 |
| 2000s | 54 |
| 2010s | 62 |
| 2020s (to 2021) | 12 |
What Ernestine means
Ernestine means serious, or vigorous in battle. It carries the Germanic sense of deadly earnestness rather than the softened modern sense of merely being sincere.
Where Ernestine comes from
Ernestine is a French and German feminine of Ernest, from the Germanic ernust — seriousness, and particularly the vigor of combat. The -ine ending is the ordinary French feminine suffix, the same one in Josephine and Claudine. It was fashionable in the nineteenth century when Germanic names were being revived across Europe, and it faded with them. The English phrase in earnest preserves the original force of the root.
Ernestine in use
Ernestine peaked in the United States in 1928, when 1,067 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 6494th in France on 5 births, across 59,749 lifetime births. It peaked in France in 1902, when 750 babies were registered, a generation before the American one.
How popular is Ernestine?
In 2021, Ernestine was given to 6 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Where Ernestine is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Ernestine
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Ernestine also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Ernestine over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Ernestine
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Ernestine in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Ernestine
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Ernestine — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Ernestine
What does the name Ernestine mean?
Serious — the Germanic ernust, originally the vigor of a fight.
Is it French or German?
The feminine form is used in both; the root is Germanic.
Is Earnest related?
Yes — the masculine of the same word, also written up here.
When was Ernestine popular?
France reached its high in 1902 and the United States in 1928, a generation apart.
Is Ernestine a girl's or a boy's name?
Ernestine is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Ernestine?
Ernestine has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Ernestine?
Ernestine is usually shortened to Erna and Tina.
Is Ernestine a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Ernestine currently ranks #6,494 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.