Given name & surname
Ephraim
“fruitful”·“one who is fertile; productive”
Ephraim is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “fruitful” and “one who is fertile; productive” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Hebrewאפרים
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “fruitful” and “one who is fertile; productive” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
The story
The name appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Ephraim appears in Genesis 41:52, Joshua 16:5, Numbers 1:32 and 3 other passages.
- Genesis 41:52
- Joshua 16:5
- Numbers 1:32
- 1 Chronicles 9:3
- Judges 12:5
- 1 Samuel 1:1
From biblical name research
Ephraim through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 8,236
- 8,236 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 260 babies
- 2025
- 231
- #988 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −4%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 231 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 988 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 4.3% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 260 in 2017. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (26). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,911 as a first name in 2020; 1,179 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.
Ephraim’s family of names
Ephraim has an affectionate form in Effie. In English usage, Ephraim shares an earlier linguistic root with Efrain. In German usage, Ephraim has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Efren.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ephraim has relatives in 20 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
24 related names in 20 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Effiepet form
- Efraimvariant · German, Polish
- Ephremvariant · English
- Efrayimvariant · Turkish
- Efremvariant
- Ephronvariant
- Ephramvariant · English
- Ephrimvariant
Show 4 moreShow fewer
Across languages 22
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 8
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Ephraim
- Ephraim KishonIsraeli author, dramatist, screenwriter and film director (1924–2005)
- Ephraim KatzirIsraeli scientist, 4th President of Israel (1973–1978) - (born 1916-2009)
- Ephraim ChambersEnglish writer and encyclopaedist1680–1740
- Ephraïm InoniPrime Minister of Cameroonborn 1947
- Ephraim Moses LilienPolish illustration artist and painter (1874-1925)
- Efraim SnehIsraeli politicianborn 1944
- Ephraim McDowellAmerican physician (1771-1830)
- Red RochaAmerican basketball player and coach (1923–2010)
- Ephraim of AntiochGreek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch401–545
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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