Today, Earnest is a less common but recognizable name in U.S. records (ranked #4,058) with about 27 babies named Earnest each year. But it wasn't always this way. At its height in 1926, Earnest reached #147 nationally — 1,149 babies received it that single year. Its strongest stretch was the 1920s. Earnest's usage has fallen in recent decades. In all, around 59,092 babies have been registered as Earnest since 1880.