Ernest vs Benjamin
How Ernest and Benjamin compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
Benjamin
Male · Hebrew
Meaning: Son Of The Right Hand. In The Bible The Patriarch Jacob's Twelfth And Most Beloved Son.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Ernest (boys) vs Benjamin (boys), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Ernest | Benjamin |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 1921 — 5,697 boys | 1989 — 15,733 boys |
| Peak rank | #38 | #29 |
| Most recent rank (2018) | #965 (215 births) | #11 (9,762 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 229,515 | 746,455 |
| Last 10 years (2009–2018) | 2,269 | 119,890 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Benjamin reached 15,733 US births in 1989 — 10,036 more than Ernest's peak count.
Crossover Years
Years where one name first passed the other in annual US births. A name "winning" in a year means it had more births that year, not necessarily a higher rank.
| Year | New leader | Ernest births | Benjamin births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1888 | Benjamin | 766 | 781 |
| 1890 | Ernest | 774 | 537 |
| 1968 | Benjamin | 0 | 3,017 |
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's boys-name list.
Ernest — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Carolina | #559 | 21 |
| 2 | Minnesota | #692 | 49 |
| 3 | Virginia | #725 | 26 |
| 4 | Maryland | #733 | 36 |
| 5 | Colorado | #736 | 18 |
Benjamin — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | #3 | 3,593 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | #4 | 4,762 |
| 3 | Illinois | #5 | 4,723 |
| 4 | Washington | #5 | 2,797 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | #5 | 454 |
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Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →