Given name & surname
Erna
“one who is determined; serious”·“one who is sincere and determined; serious”
Erna is a variant of Ernestina. In German use, Ernestina carries the interpretation “one who is determined; serious.” In German use, Erna is a feminine form of Ernest. One English interpretation is “one who is sincere and determined; serious.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Erna is a variant of Ernestina. In German use, Ernestina carries the interpretation “one who is determined; serious.” In German use, Erna is a feminine form of Ernest. One English interpretation is “one who is sincere and determined; serious.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In German use, Erna is a feminine form of Ernest. Ernest has been associated with Germanic and Old High German naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In German use, Erna is used as a form of Ernesta.
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
Erna through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 9,071
- 11 boys · 9,060 girls
- Most popular year
- 1916
- 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 girls is 6 in 2021. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 358 in 1916. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,768 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Erna’s family of names
In Norwegian Bokmål usage, Erna is a short form of Ernestine. Erna is a feminine form of Ernest. Erna has a related form in Ernestina.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Erna has relatives in 5 languages.
7 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Erna
- Erna SolbergPrime Minister of Norway from 2013 to 2021born 1961
- Erna Schneider HooverAmerican mathematicianborn 1926
- Erna Bergeroperatic singer1900–1990
- Erna MorenaGerman actress (1885-1962)
- Erni MangoldAustrian actress (1927-2026)
- Erna Bogen-BogátiHungarian fencer (1906–2002)
- Erna SiikavirtaFinnish keyboardistborn 1977
- Erna FlegelGerman nurse (1911–2006)
- Erna Hennicot-SchoepgesLuxembourgish politician (born 1941)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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