Given name & surname
Ernesto
“one who is sincere and determined; serious”
Ernesto is a variant of Ernest. One English interpretation is “one who is sincere and determined; serious.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Ernesto is a variant of Ernest. One English interpretation is “one who is sincere and determined; serious.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Ernesto is a variant of Ernest. Ernest has been associated with Germanic and Old High German naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Esperanto usage, Ernesto developed from the German form Ernst.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1889. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ernesto through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 44,816
- 44,695 boys · 121 girls
- Most popular year
- 2003
- 854 babies
- 2025
- 272
- #878 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −18%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 272 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 878 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 17.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 854 in 2003. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (86). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 68,243 as a first name in 2020; 303 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.
Ernesto’s family of names
In Cebuano usage, Ernesto has a diminutive in ERNING. Ernesto shares a linguistic root with Ernest. In Spanish usage, Ernesto has a conventional equivalent in the German form Ernst.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ernesto has relatives in 8 languages.
6 related names in 8 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Ernesto
- Che GuevaraArgentine Marxist revolutionary (1928–1967)
- Ernesto SabatoArgentine writer, painter and physicist (1911-2011)
- Ernesto Teodoro MonetaItalian journalist, revolutionary soldier and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (1833–1918)
- Ernesto ValverdeSpanish association football player and managerborn 1964
- Ernesto Zedillo61st President of Mexicoborn 1951
- Ernesto Geiselmilitary and president of Brazil (1974–1979)1907–1996
- Ernesto CardenalNicaraguan priest and politician (1925–2020)
- Ernesto LaclauArgentine philosopher and political theorist (1935-2014)
- Ernesto SamperPresident of Colombiaborn 1950
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ernesto, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“strong as a bear”
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“one who is crowned in victory”
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“a wealthy protector”
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“a fiery man; one who is ardent”
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Alvaro
“guardian of all”
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Enrique
“the ruler of the estate”
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Alberto
“one who is noble and bright”
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Emanuel
“God is with us”
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