Namewise

Ernest vs Valentine

Ernest and Valentinecompared 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.

  • England and Wales · Boys

    In 2025, Ernest was ranked #252 and Valentine #1798 among boys in England and Wales.

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys

    In 1984, Ernest was ranked #318 and Valentine #318 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

Ernest and Valentine over time

Ernest and Valentine appear together in 2 published lists, across 42 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.

Valentine 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.

List by list

  • England and Wales · Boys26 shared years, 19982025

    Ernest held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Valentine in 0.

    Highest recorded here: Ernest #252 in 2025, Valentine #1189 in 2019.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 2025: Ernest #252, Valentine #1798.

  • Republic of Ireland · Boys16 shared years, 19641984

    Ernest held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Valentine in 13.

    Highest recorded here: Ernest #167 in 1968, Valentine #119 in 1965.

    The order between them never changed and held in this list.

    Most recent shared year, 1984: Ernest #318, Valentine #318.

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

Side-by-side comparison of Ernest, Valentine
FieldErnestValentine
Record typeOfficial statistical record (evidence-only)Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usagemaleUsed for both boys and girls
MeaningNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
OriginNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
PronunciationNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Syllables24
Common variants / nicknamesNot yet recordedNot yet recorded
Recorded regional usageGB-ENW, GB-SCT, IEGB-ENW, IE
Most recent popularity observationEngland and Wales · Boys #252 (2025)England and Wales · Boys #1798 (2025)
Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score)Not yet recordedNot yet recorded
Spelling simplicity (demonstration score)88/10070/100
International familiarity (demonstration score)100/10060/100
Data Confidencemediummedium

What the data shows

  • Ernest has 2 syllables, compared with 4 for Valentine.
  • Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.

How each name got here

Ernest

Popularity journey

  1. 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

  2. Highest recorded1964–2021

    Highest recorded position: #167 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1968 (recorded 1964–2021).

    Republic of Ireland · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #252 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Boys

Valentine

Popularity journey

  1. First recorded1964

    First recorded at #139 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

  2. Highest recorded1964–2024

    Highest recorded position: #119 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1964–2024).

    Republic of Ireland · Boys

  3. Most recent2025

    Most recently recorded at #3705 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.

    England and Wales · Girls