girls' name ★ peaked 1920

Etta

Meaning -etta Gender Girl Rank 2025 #930 Trend → Stable

Etta is an English given name that is a diminutive form of Antonietta, Henrietta and other names that end in “-etta”.

Rank 2025
#930
among girls · ↑43 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
281
named Etta · +5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 5,720
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1920
803 babies
All-time total
43,291
#661 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Etta popularity over time

43,291 babies have been named Etta 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
123418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 3,973 – 3,973 397 – #72
1890s 4,670 – 4,670 467 +18% #94
1900s 4,003 – 4,003 400 -14% #123
1910s 6,252 7 6,259 626 +56% #165
1920s 6,961 10 6,971 697 +11% #230
1930s 4,805 6 4,811 481 -31% #270
1940s 3,797 – 3,797 380 -21% #305
1950s 2,480 – 2,480 248 -35% #477
1960s 1,463 – 1,463 146 -41% #696
1970s 458 – 458 46 -69% #1,503
1980s 237 – 237 24 -48% #2,457
1990s 172 – 172 17 -27% #4,565
2000s 342 – 342 34 +99% #2,597
2010s 2,004 – 2,004 200 +486% #958
2020s (to 2025) 1,651 – 1,651 275 +37% #924

Where Etta is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 284 0.18 outside top 500
2027 286 0.18 outside top 500
2028 288 0.18 outside top 500
2029 289 0.18 outside top 500
2030 291 0.18 outside top 500

Where Etta is most popular

Girls named Etta per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.169 per 1,000. Strongest in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Etta 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
North Dakota 24 1.83 +980%
Minnesota 111 1.03 +508%
Wisconsin 75 0.728 +331%
Nebraska 22 0.612 +262%
Iowa 30 0.513 +204%
Idaho 15 0.448 +165%
South Dakota 5 0.350 +107%
Missouri 41 0.340 +101%
Tennessee 53 0.335 +98%
Illinois 66 0.288 +70%
Michigan 50 0.275 +62%
Utah 22 0.264 +56%
North Carolina 55 0.242 +43%
Massachusetts 29 0.240 +42%
Indiana 31 0.221 +31%
Oregon 14 0.215 +27%
Washington 31 0.215 +27%
Arizona 29 0.207 +22%
Colorado 22 0.197 +17%
Arkansas 9 0.170 ≈ national
New York 64 0.162 ≈ national
Ohio 38 0.160 -5%
Mississippi 7 0.150 -12%
Alabama 13 0.138 -18%
Kentucky 11 0.129 -24%
Virginia 21 0.123 -27%
Pennsylvania 29 0.123 -27%
South Carolina 10 0.111 -34%
Georgia 22 0.097 -43%
Kansas 5 0.087 -49%
Texas 65 0.081 -52%
California 63 0.075 -56%
Florida 31 0.072 -57%
New Jersey 11 0.061 -64%
Maryland 5 0.047 -72%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Etta

Etta is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #930 in 2025 with 281 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 43,291 American babies have been named Etta. Its peak came in 1920, when 803 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 Etta stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Etta?

The median living Etta is about 65 years old; half are between 11 and 79. An estimated 12 thousand people named Etta are alive in the United States today.

median 65 020406080100

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

Etta 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 281 #930 – –
2024 267 #973 – –
2023 283 #937 – –
2022 256 #1,016 – –
2021 285 #933 – –
2020 279 #924 – –
2019 254 #1,011 – –
2018 276 #958 – –
2017 263 #988 – –
2016 257 #1,031 – –
2015 242 #1,082 – –
2014 209 #1,175 – –
2013 204 #1,181 – –
2012 132 #1,634 – –
2011 86 #2,198 – –
2010 81 #2,349 – –
2009 71 #2,597 – –
2008 57 #3,029 – –
2007 39 #4,006 – –
2006 46 #3,479 – –
2005 25 #5,152 – –
2004 28 #4,750 – –
2003 25 #4,988 – –
2002 29 #4,312 – –
2001 7 #12,473 – –
2000 15 #6,914 – –
1995 15 #6,056 – –
1990 21 #4,565 – –
1985 18 #4,324 – –
1980 23 #3,540 – –
1975 41 #2,105 – –
1970 66 #1,508 – –
1965 127 #890 – –
1960 214 #696 – –
1955 264 #560 – –
1950 289 #477 – –
1945 345 #378 – –
1940 426 #305 – –
1935 458 #284 6 #3,381
1930 551 #271 – –
1925 731 #246 5 #4,420
1920 803 #230 – –
1915 766 #215 7 #3,185
1910 430 #165 – –
1905 397 #150 – –
1900 508 #123 – –
1895 445 #112 – –
1890 452 #95 – –
1885 372 #83 – –
1880 323 #72 – –

Famous people named Etta

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

  1. 1 Etta James Etta James American blues singer (1938–2012) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Etta?

The median living Etta is about 65 years old. Half of all living Ettas are between 11 and 79 years old.

How many people named Etta are alive today?

An estimated 12 thousand people named Etta are alive in the United States, based on 43,291 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Etta mean?

Etta is an English given name that is a diminutive form of Antonietta, Henrietta and other names that end in “-etta”.

How popular is the name Etta in 2025?

Etta ranked #930 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 281 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Etta?

43,291 babies have been named Etta in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Etta most popular?

Etta peaked in 1920, when 803 newborns received the name.

Is Etta a boy or girl name?

Etta is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Etta rising or falling?

Etta is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Etta become more popular?

Etta looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 291 girls named Etta in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Etta?

Well-known people named Etta include Etta James (singer).

Names like Etta

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

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