Ernest vs Herbert
Ernest and Herbertcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 1980, Ernest was ranked #321 and Herbert #288 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Ernest was ranked #296 and Herbert #1235 among boys in England and Wales.
Ernest and Herbert over time
Ernest and Herbert appear together in 2 published lists, across 41 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Herbert reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 2 of those lists, and Ernest in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Ernest and Herbert changed places 4 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1996 and 2024, ending at #296 and #1235.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Ernest held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Herbert in 5.
Highest recorded here: Ernest #270 in 2022, Herbert #672 in 2016.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ernest #296, Herbert #1235.
Republic of Ireland · Boys12 shared years, 1964–1980
Ernest held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Herbert in 7.
Highest recorded here: Ernest #167 in 1968, Herbert #175 in 1964.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 1980: Ernest #321, Herbert #288.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Ernest | Herbert |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-SCT, IE | GB-ENW, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Boys #296 (2024) | England and Wales · Boys #1235 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ernest and Herbert both have 2 syllables.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Ernest
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #181 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2021
Highest recorded position: #167 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1968 (recorded 1964–2021).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #296 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys
Herbert
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #175 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1964–1983
Highest recorded position: #175 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–1983).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1235 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys