Given name & surname
Earle
“a nobleman”
Earle is a variant of Earl. One English interpretation is “a nobleman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Earle is a variant of Earl. One English interpretation is “a nobleman.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Earle is a variant of Earl. Earl has been associated with English and Old English naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Earle through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 11,790
- 11,505 boys · 285 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 358 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 2014. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 350 in 1918. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,481 as a first name in 2020; 7,973 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Earle
- Earle PageAustralian politician, 11th Prime Minister of Australia (1880-1961)
- Earle MeadowsAmerican athlete (1913-1992)
- Earle BrownAmerican composer (1926–2002)
- Earle WilliamsAmerican actor (1880-1927)
- Earle ClementsAmerican farmer and politician (1896-1985)
- Earle FoxeAmerican actor (1891–1973)1887–1973
- Earle Wellssailor1933–2021
- Earle HymanAmerican actor (1926-2017)
- Earle S. MacPhersonAmerican automotive engineer (1891–1960)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Earle, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Melville
“from the mill town”
99% boys · 1% girls
Elmore
“from the moor of the elm trees”
>99% boys
Adelbert
“one who is noble and bright”
>99% boys
Verle
“one who is faithful”
77% boys · 23% girls
General
“a military leader”
>99% boys
Ellsworth
“from the nobleman's estate”
>99% boys
Arvel
>99% boys
Arne
“resembling an eagle”
>99% boys