boys' name ★ peaked 1921

Ervin

Meaning green water, Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,656 Trend → Stable

Ervin is a male given name of Indo-European origin, meaning "green water," "fresh water," "friend of the sea," or "army friend." It is believed to have either originated…

Rank 2025
#1,656
among boys · ↑270 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
101
named Ervin · +23% vs 2024
How common
1 in 16,912
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1921
865 babies
All-time total
39,129
#585 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Ervin popularity over time

39,129 babies have been named Ervin since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 411 411 41 – #224
1890s – 510 510 51 +24% #211
1900s – 895 895 90 +75% #172
1910s 18 5,011 5,029 503 +462% #168
1920s 43 7,595 7,638 764 +52% #163
1930s 18 5,070 5,088 509 -33% #211
1940s 22 4,525 4,547 455 -11% #266
1950s 8 4,287 4,295 430 -6% #321
1960s 7 2,758 2,765 277 -36% #440
1970s 6 1,776 1,782 178 -36% #534
1980s 11 1,616 1,627 163 -9% #638
1990s 5 1,508 1,513 151 -7% #716
2000s – 1,392 1,392 139 -8% #943
2010s – 1,092 1,092 109 -22% #1,323
2020s (to 2025) – 545 545 91 -17% #1,656

Where Ervin is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 100 0.06 outside top 500
2027 100 0.06 outside top 500
2028 99 0.06 outside top 500
2029 98 0.06 outside top 500
2030 98 0.06 outside top 500

Where Ervin is most popular

Boys named Ervin per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.052 per 1,000. Strongest in Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Ervin born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Pennsylvania 76 0.286 +447%
New York 47 0.109 +107%
Ohio 28 0.106 +102%
Iowa 6 0.087 +66%
Missouri 10 0.072 +38%
Kentucky 6 0.060 +14%
Wisconsin 7 0.059 +13%
Michigan 11 0.054 ≈ national
Minnesota 5 0.041 -22%
Tennessee 5 0.028 -47%
California 23 0.025 -52%
Florida 11 0.023 -56%
Texas 19 0.022 -59%
Illinois 5 0.020 -63%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Ervin

Ervin is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,656 in 2025 with 101 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 39,129 American babies have been named Ervin. Its peak came in 1921, when 865 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Ervin stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ervin?

The median living Ervin is about 58 years old; half are between 33 and 73. An estimated 16 thousand people named Ervin are alive in the United States today.

median 58 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Ervin year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 101 #1,656
2024 – – 82 #1,926
2023 – – 86 #1,854
2022 – – 102 #1,683
2021 – – 81 #1,891
2020 – – 93 #1,689
2019 – – 108 #1,551
2018 – – 102 #1,609
2017 – – 116 #1,462
2016 – – 91 #1,708
2015 – – 98 #1,628
2014 – – 109 #1,487
2013 – – 130 #1,323
2012 – – 110 #1,468
2011 – – 116 #1,425
2010 – – 112 #1,464
2009 – – 133 #1,309
2008 – – 138 #1,268
2007 – – 147 #1,199
2006 – – 140 #1,197
2005 – – 136 #1,172
2004 – – 119 #1,267
2003 – – 174 #943
2002 – – 141 #1,074
2001 – – 136 #1,063
2000 – – 128 #1,099
1995 – – 143 #926
1990 5 #13,647 159 #804
1985 – – 132 #772
1980 – – 173 #660
1975 – – 156 #659
1970 – – 206 #567
1965 – – 297 #450
1960 – – 334 #440
1955 – – 423 #351
1950 – – 424 #328
1945 5 #4,760 419 #290
1940 – – 416 #274
1935 – – 497 #234
1930 6 #4,207 625 #211
1925 5 #5,229 737 #187
1920 9 #3,420 843 #163
1915 – – 582 #190
1910 – – 131 #199
1905 – – 112 #172
1900 – – 88 #209
1895 – – 51 #252
1890 – – 43 #262
1885 – – 35 #283
1880 – – 30 #307

Famous people named Ervin

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Ervin László Ervin László Hungarian philosopher, theorist and pianist (1932–2026) Contemporary
  2. 2 Ervin Skela Ervin Skela Albanian footballer (born 1976) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Ervin, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Ervin?

The median living Ervin is about 58 years old. Half of all living Ervins are between 33 and 73 years old.

How many people named Ervin are alive today?

An estimated 16 thousand people named Ervin are alive in the United States, based on 39,129 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ervin mean?

Ervin is a male given name of Indo-European origin, meaning "green water," "fresh water," "friend of the sea," or "army friend." It is believed to have either originated from Old English or Old Gaelic, referring to its water-relat

How popular is the name Ervin in 2025?

Ervin ranked #1,656 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 101 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ervin?

39,129 babies have been named Ervin in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ervin most popular?

Ervin peaked in 1921, when 865 newborns received the name.

Is Ervin a boy or girl name?

Ervin is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Ervin rising or falling?

Ervin has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Ervin become more popular?

Ervin looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 98 boys named Ervin in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ervin?

Well-known people named Ervin include Ervin László (philosopher), Ervin Skela (soccer player).

Names like Ervin

Names that sound and feel close to Ervin: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Ervin with similar names → More names starting with E →