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First Name
280k
in the U.S.
since 1880

Last Name
<100
in the U.S.
in 2010

Ethel

Origin: English
Meaning: Noble
Free Horoscope
Gender: Girl
259^th All Time

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Boys

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Last

How popular is the baby name Ethel in the U.S.?

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Click Here to Show Chart Data

Year	Total Babies Born	Girls Born	Boys Born	Ranking
1880	639	633	6	#38 girl name
1881	793	788	5	#25 girl name
1882	989	989	0	#24 girl name
1883	1,132	1,132	0	#20 girl name
1884	1,393	1,386	7	#18 girl name
1885	1,508	1,495	13	#15 girl name
1886	1,705	1,699	6	#15 girl name
1887	1,917	1,907	10	#11 girl name
1888	2,386	2,374	12	#9 girl name
1889	2,477	2,463	14	#8 girl name
1890	2,726	2,718	8	#7 girl name
1891	2,698	2,689	9	#7 girl name
1892	3,052	3,035	17	#8 girl name
1893	3,131	3,119	12	#8 girl name
1894	3,298	3,287	11	#7 girl name
1895	3,406	3,391	15	#8 girl name
1896	3,514	3,502	12	#6 girl name
1897	3,199	3,182	17	#8 girl name
1898	3,555	3,531	24	#8 girl name
1899	3,014	2,999	15	#9 girl name
1900	3,916	3,896	20	#8 girl name
1901	3,083	3,067	16	#9 girl name
1902	3,314	3,295	19	#9 girl name
1903	3,277	3,257	20	#9 girl name
1904	3,313	3,296	17	#11 girl name
1905	3,415	3,401	14	#12 girl name
1906	3,527	3,511	16	#12 girl name
1907	3,710	3,698	12	#12 girl name
1908	3,808	3,786	22	#12 girl name
1909	3,686	3,661	25	#13 girl name
1910	4,179	4,146	33	#13 girl name
1911	4,158	4,141	17	#15 girl name
1912	5,091	5,073	18	#18 girl name
1913	5,396	5,369	27	#20 girl name
1914	6,230	6,204	26	#21 girl name
1915	7,409	7,379	30	#23 girl name
1916	7,625	7,601	24	#25 girl name
1917	7,901	7,864	37	#24 girl name
1918	8,111	8,076	35	#28 girl name
1919	7,850	7,810	40	#28 girl name
1920	7,892	7,869	23	#30 girl name
1921	7,636	7,604	32	#32 girl name
1922	7,269	7,244	25	#32 girl name
1923	6,571	6,540	31	#38 girl name
1924	6,625	6,584	41	#39 girl name
1925	6,208	6,175	33	#43 girl name
1926	5,889	5,859	30	#41 girl name
1927	5,529	5,486	43	#47 girl name
1928	4,971	4,923	48	#55 girl name
1929	4,549	4,517	32	#56 girl name
1930	4,136	4,099	37	#65 girl name
1931	3,795	3,762	33	#67 girl name
1932	3,629	3,607	22	#66 girl name
1933	3,253	3,218	35	#71 girl name
1934	3,208	3,178	30	#78 girl name
1935	3,031	3,004	27	#82 girl name
1936	2,748	2,731	17	#90 girl name
1937	2,787	2,764	23	#88 girl name
1938	2,753	2,726	27	#94 girl name
1939	2,522	2,494	28	#100 girl name
1940	2,386	2,374	12
1941	2,285	2,269	16
1942	2,219	2,204	15
1943	2,226	2,216	10
1944	2,061	2,053	8
1945	1,828	1,818	10
1946	1,948	1,936	12
1947	2,091	2,083	8
1948	1,878	1,872	6
1949	1,762	1,753	9
1950	1,612	1,603	9
1951	1,499	1,492	7
1952	1,412	1,399	13
1953	1,283	1,283	0
1954	1,180	1,174	6
1955	1,111	1,102	9
1956	1,083	1,076	7
1957	885	880	5
1958	856	856	0
1959	681	681	0
1960	730	730	0
1961	632	632	0
1962	587	582	5
1963	531	523	8
1964	517	517	0
1965	445	440	5
1966	371	364	7
1967	341	341	0
1968	288	283	5
1969	276	276	0
1970	226	226	0
1971	218	218	0
1972	180	180	0
1973	181	181	0
1974	130	130	0
1975	149	149	0
1976	113	113	0
1977	106	106	0
1978	106	106	0
1979	87	87	0
1980	75	75	0
1981	63	63	0
1982	82	82	0
1983	70	70	0
1984	48	48	0
1985	54	54	0
1986	46	46	0
1987	29	29	0
1988	30	30	0
1989	51	51	0
1990	46	46	0
1991	36	36	0
1992	33	33	0
1993	28	28	0
1994	22	22	0
1995	25	25	0
1996	29	29	0
1997	14	14	0
1998	18	18	0
1999	23	23	0
2000	14	14	0
2001	19	19	0
2002	29	29	0
2003	24	24	0
2004	23	23	0
2005	20	20	0
2006	13	13	0
2007	17	17	0
2008	13	13	0
2009	15	15	0
2010	14	14	0
2011	14	14	0
2012	15	15	0
2013	14	14	0
2014	21	21	0
2015	12	12	0

Fun Facts about the name Ethel

How many people with the first name Ethel have been born in the United States? From 1880 to 2015, the Social Security Administration has recorded 280,131 babies born with the first name Ethel in the United States. That's more than enough people named Ethel to occupy the territory of French Polynesia (France) with an estimated population of 277,000 (as of July 1, 2012).
What year were 5 or more babies first named Ethel? The name was first given to 5 or more babies in the year 1880 when it was given as a first name to 639 new born babies.
When was Ethel first recorded in the United States? The oldest recorded birth by the Social Security Administration for the first name Ethel is Friday, August 10th, 1866.
What year had the most people named Ethel born? The highest recorded use of the first name Ethel was in 1918 with a total of 8,076 babies. That's a lot of babies named Ethel!
Random Ethel Factoid: According to the 1933 U.S. Social Security Administration data, the first name Ethel ranks 44^th in popularity as a baby girl's name in West Virginia. Imagine that, 80 babies in West Virginia have the same name as you in 1933.
Weird things about the name Ethel: Your name in reverse order is Lehte. A random rearrangement of the letters in your name (anagram) will give Hlete. How do you pronounce that?

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Where is the name Ethel popular?

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Popularity of Ethel as a first name

The map shows the relative popularity of the name Ethel as a first name in each of the states. See other popular names in Mississippi, South Carolina, or Alabama.

Popularity of Ethel as a last name

The map shows the absolute popularity of the name Ethel as a last name in each of the states. See other popular names in Oklahoma, Texas, or Ohio.

Common last names for Ethel

Smith
Johnson
Brown
Williams
Jones
Miller
Davis
Anderson
Wilson
Taylor
Moore
Thompson
Thomas
White
Jackson
Clark
Martin
Harris
Lewis
Hall

Meaning, Origin, Inspirations, and Associations

Have you been wondering what does the name "Ethel" mean? The list below shows the origins of Ethel as well as things modernly associated with the name Ethel such as celebrities named Ethel.

English

Origin and Meaning of Ethel

The name "Ethel" is of English origin, and it means "Noble". It's a name commonly given to girls.

Webster's Unabridged Dictionary

adjective Eth"el

Noble.

Etymology: AS. eðele æðele. See Atheling

Wiktionary

Short form of names of Old English origin beginning with Ethel-, Ã¦Ã¾el (â€œnobleâ€). First used in the 19th century. Cognate to the Germanic Adela and Adele.

A female given name, popular at the turn of the 20th century.

Notable Persons With the Name Ethel

Ethel Kennedy

Ethel Kennedy is a notable person. Ethel was given the name Ethel Skakel by her parent George Skakel on April 11th, 1928 in Chicago.

Popularity:

Ethel Merman

Ethel Merman was an actress and singer. She was most prominent from 1930 to 1982. Ethel was given the name Ethel Agnes Zimmermann on January 16th, 1908 in Astoria, Queens, New York City, US. She left this life on February 15th, 1984.

Popularity:

Ethel Waters

Ethel Waters was a jazz, gospel, blues, and gospel music actor and singing. She plays Vocals. Her career lasted from 1918 to 1977. Ethel was born on October 31st, 1896 in , U.S. She died on September 1st, 1977.

Popularity:

Ethel Barrymore

Ethel Barrymore was an actress. She was most prominent from 1895 to 1957. Ethel was given the name Ethel Mae Blythe by her parents Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew on August 15th, 1879 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. She left this life on June 18th, 1959.

Popularity:

Ruby Keeler

Ruby Keeler was an actress, dancer, and singer. She was most active from 1923 to 1989. Ruby was given the name Ethel Ruby Keeler on August 25th, 1909 in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She left this life on February 28th, 1993.

Popularity:

Ethel Muggs

Ethel Muggs is a fictional character.

Popularity:

Duchess of Argyll Margaret

(notable person)
Ethel Roosevelt Derby

(famed individual)
Etel Adnan

(author)
Ethel Lilian Voynich

(writer)
Ethel Smith

(important individual)
Fabia Drake

(actress)
Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge

(philanthropy)
Ethel Hedgeman Lyle

(notable somebody)
Ethel Ennis

(leading somebody)
Ethel Clayton

(actress)
Ethel Ayler

(actor)
Ethel Catherwood

(athlete)
Ethel Shutta

(actor)
Ethel Lavenu

(leading individual)

Notable Persons With the Last Name Ethel

Agnes Ethel

Agnes Ethel was a leading individual. Agnes was born on May 1st, 1846 in New York City. Agnes is also known as Ethel Agnes Tracy. She passed away on May 26th, 1903.

Popularity: