Ernest
Ernest is a male given name: 99% of people named Ernest are men, and it is recorded as male in 15 of the 15 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Male
- Male / female split
- 99% male / 1% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Luxembourg, Great Britain
- US births since 1880
- 300,826 male / 1,855 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Ernest
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Ernest," in English, "Guten Tag Ernest," in German. Ernest is a male given name: about 99% of people named Ernest are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Ernest,
German
Guten Tag Ernest,
French
Bonjour Ernest,
Spanish
Estimado/a Ernest:
Chinese
Ernest您好：
Japanese
Ernest様
English
Hi Ernest,
German
Hi Ernest,
French
Salut Ernest,
Spanish
Hola Ernest,
Chinese
Ernest你好：
Japanese
Ernestさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | man's name | 99% |
| Luxembourg | common | man's name | 98% |
| Great Britain | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Slovakia | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Belgium | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Switzerland | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| France | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Albania | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Armenia | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Austria | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Malta | rare | man's name | 98% |
Show all 15 countries
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovenia | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Azerbaijan | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Romania | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
300,826 male · 1,855 female · 302,681 births recorded
Since 1980: 99% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ernest a male or female name?
Ernest is a male given name: 99% of people named Ernest are men, and it is recorded as male in 15 of the 15 countries covered.
How do I address Ernest in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Ernest," in English, "Guten Tag Ernest," in German. Ernest is a male given name: about 99% of people named Ernest are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Ernest a unisex name?
Ernest is not a unisex name: 99% of people named Ernest are men. Ernest leans strongly male overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Ernest a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/ernest (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_ernest,
title = {Is Ernest a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/ernest},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}