boys' name ★ peaked 2004

Ethan

Meaning firmness, strong, or long-lived Gender Boy Rank 2025 #24 Trend ↓ Falling 24%

From Biblical Hebrew אֵיתָן (ʾêṯān, literally “firmness, strong, or long-lived”).

Rank 2025
#24
among boys · ↓5 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
7,859
named Ethan · -4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 218
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2004
22,336 babies
All-time total
488,144
#66 all-time among boys
First recorded
1882
in Social Security records

Ethan popularity over time

488,144 babies have been named Ethan since 1882, 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
3.757.511.251518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – 30 30 3 – #630
1890s – 31 31 3 +3% #719
1900s – 17 17 2 -45% #985
1910s – 184 184 18 +982% #1,168
1920s – 233 233 23 +27% #1,304
1930s – 225 225 23 -3% #1,127
1940s – 254 254 25 +13% #1,243
1950s – 553 553 55 +118% #835
1960s – 1,601 1,601 160 +190% #532
1970s – 5,301 5,301 530 +231% #285
1980s 35 10,490 10,525 1,053 +99% #87
1990s 128 66,930 67,058 6,706 +537% #37
2000s 373 201,835 202,208 20,221 +202% #2
2010s 165 149,111 149,276 14,928 -26% #2
2020s (to 2025) 54 50,594 50,648 8,441 -43% #13

Where Ethan 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 7,499 4.39 #27
2027 7,212 4.22 #31
2028 6,976 4.08 #33
2029 6,782 3.97 #36
2030 6,621 3.88 #36

Where Ethan is most popular

Boys named Ethan per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 4.75 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, Hawaii, and New Jersey.

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 Ethan 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
District of Columbia 147 9.96 +110%
Hawaii 128 8.24 +73%
New Jersey 1,637 8.13 +71%
Connecticut 548 8.09 +70%
Rhode Island 131 8.04 +69%
Maryland 944 7.92 +67%
New York 3,382 7.81 +64%
Massachusetts 1,067 7.76 +63%
Delaware 114 7.52 +58%
California 6,549 7.16 +51%
Florida 3,185 6.73 +42%
Alaska 73 6.13 +29%
Virginia 1,144 6.03 +27%
Nevada 340 5.96 +26%
Washington 966 5.90 +24%
Texas 5,039 5.72 +20%
Pennsylvania 1,456 5.48 +15%
New Hampshire 120 5.40 +14%
Colorado 670 5.19 +9%
Illinois 1,316 5.15 +8%
New Mexico 166 5.04 +6%
Utah 463 4.85 ≈ national
Georgia 1,222 4.82 ≈ national
Arizona 739 4.52 -5%
Oregon 342 4.51 -5%
Minnesota 550 4.48 -6%
North Carolina 1,128 4.42 -7%
Maine 81 4.17 -12%
Idaho 168 4.11 -14%
Wisconsin 469 3.96 -17%
South Carolina 406 3.93 -17%
North Dakota 67 3.92 -17%
Louisiana 401 3.92 -17%
Kentucky 392 3.91 -18%
Tennessee 696 3.86 -19%
Ohio 1,017 3.84 -19%
Kansas 263 3.83 -19%
Nebraska 166 3.82 -20%
Indiana 596 3.72 -22%
Montana 64 3.63 -24%
Oklahoma 320 3.62 -24%
Iowa 249 3.61 -24%
Arkansas 221 3.49 -27%
Michigan 697 3.40 -28%
Alabama 372 3.40 -28%
Missouri 449 3.24 -32%
South Dakota 56 3.01 -37%
Mississippi 166 2.92 -39%
West Virginia 95 2.91 -39%
Vermont 18 2.87 -40%
Wyoming 16 2.77 -42%

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 Ethan

Ethan is a top-50 name for boys in the United States, ranked #24 in 2025 with 7,852 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1882, 488,144 American babies have been named Ethan. Its peak came in 2004, when 22,336 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

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 Ethan stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Ethan?

The median living Ethan is about 18 years old; half are between 11 and 23. An estimated 480 thousand people named Ethan are alive in the United States today.

median 18 020406080100

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

Ethan 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 7 #12,303 7,852 #24
2024 9 #10,535 8,201 #19
2023 7 #12,549 7,810 #24
2022 10 #9,923 8,312 #21
2021 12 #8,649 8,863 #20
2020 9 #10,534 9,556 #13
2019 13 #8,271 11,311 #11
2018 12 #8,789 11,931 #12
2017 9 #10,976 12,483 #14
2016 14 #8,133 13,855 #10
2015 18 #6,818 15,103 #6
2014 19 #6,529 15,749 #6
2013 17 #7,155 16,260 #6
2012 22 #5,973 17,697 #3
2011 22 #6,003 16,702 #7
2010 19 #6,731 18,020 #2
2009 24 #5,766 19,858 #2
2008 36 #4,300 20,223 #3
2007 17 #7,495 21,041 #3
2006 26 #5,286 20,522 #4
2005 36 #3,975 21,318 #5
2004 126 #1,564 22,210 #5
2003 29 #4,456 21,362 #7
2002 37 #3,615 22,113 #5
2001 21 #5,427 17,962 #17
2000 21 #5,370 15,226 #25
1995 11 #7,682 4,934 #75
1990 17 #5,363 6,989 #58
1985 – – 670 #307
1980 – – 706 #291
1975 – – 541 #327
1970 – – 268 #495
1965 – – 183 #564
1960 – – 94 #791
1955 – – 53 #1,038
1950 – – 26 #1,443
1945 – – 21 #1,461
1940 – – 17 #1,700
1935 – – 25 #1,371
1930 – – 19 #1,713
1925 – – 17 #1,955
1920 – – 31 #1,304
1915 – – 27 #1,278
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Ethan

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

  1. 1 Ethan Hawke Ethan Hawke American actor, director and author (born 1970) Contemporary
  2. 2 Ethan Embry Ethan Embry American actor (born 1978) Contemporary
  3. 3 Ethan Suplee Ethan Suplee American actor (born 1976) Contemporary
  4. 4 Ethan Peck Ethan Peck American actor (born 1986) Contemporary
  5. 5 Ethan Cutkosky American actor (born 1999) Contemporary
  6. 6 Ethan Allen Ethan Allen American farmer, military officer and politician (1738–1789) 18th century
  7. 7 Ethan Carter III Ethan Carter III American professional wrestler (born 1983) Contemporary
  8. 8 Ethan Phillips Ethan Phillips American actor (born 1955) Contemporary
  9. 9 Ethan Mitchell Ethan Mitchell New Zealand cyclist (born 1991) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Ethan?

The median living Ethan is about 18 years old. Half of all living Ethans are between 11 and 23 years old.

How many people named Ethan are alive today?

An estimated 480 thousand people named Ethan are alive in the United States, based on 488,144 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Ethan mean?

From Biblical Hebrew אֵיתָן (ʾêṯān, literally “firmness, strong, or long-lived”).

How popular is the name Ethan in 2025?

Ethan ranked #24 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 7,852 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Ethan?

488,144 babies have been named Ethan in the United States since 1882, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Ethan most popular?

Ethan peaked in 2004, when 22,336 newborns received the name.

Is Ethan a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Ethan rising or falling?

Ethan is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Ethan become more popular?

Ethan is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 6,621 boys named Ethan in 2030, which would rank around #36. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Ethan?

Well-known people named Ethan include Ethan Hawke (actor), Ethan Embry (actor), Ethan Suplee (actor).

Names like Ethan

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

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