Names / Girl names
Ethel
Current rank
#4,211
holding steady
All-time peak
#6
in 1896
First recorded
1880
in U.S. data
Children named
280,400
since 1880
Popularity over time
Annual U.S. children given the name · Peak #6 in 1896 · Source: Social Security Administration
Meaning & background
Ethel makes its debut in American naming records in 1880, where it reads as a girls' name. These days it lands below the top 1,000, so it still feels distinctive. Its strongest year was 1896, at #6 nationally. More than 280,400 children have been given the name overall.