Baby Name of the Day: Ethel

The baby name Ethel is a former style star that might be ready for revival soon-ish.

Thanks to Lella for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME ETHEL MEAN?

The baby name Ethel boasts Anglo-Saxon roots.

Not many of those have stood the test of time, When’s the last time you met an Æthelred or Æthelwulf?

In fact, Ethel would’ve been part of a compound name back in early medieval England.

A daughter of Alfred the Great, Æthelflæd reigned as Lady of the Mercians in the early 900s. 

Ethel is cousin to Adelaide, from an Old English element meaning noble. 

A 19th century trend brought plenty of Anglo-Saxon names back into favor. Ethel swept into use along with them. 

19th CENTURY REVIVAL

Author William Makepeace Thackeray used the name for a character in his novel The Newcomes in 1855. She was a love interest for the main character, Clive.

Charlotte Mary Yonge did the same, for the main character in 1856’s The Daisy Chain. Ethel May’s full name was, in fact, Etheldred.

The one-two pop culture punch put Ethel on parents’ radar. 

When US popularity data is first reported for the year 1880, the baby name Ethel is well-established in the Top 100. 

But more was to come.

BARRYMORE and MERMAN

Broadway and early Hollywood star Ethel Barrymore was named after the character in The Newcomes. Barrymore first appeared on the stage in 1895. 

Her dad, Maurice Barrymore, started the family of acting legends. Lionel and John were her brothers. She’s the great-aunt of Drew Barrymore. 

She didn’t win an Academy Award until 1944, after the name was out of the spotlight. But chances are that her fame helped influence the name’s rise in use. 

Plenty of other high-profile Ethels included:

• President Theodore Roosevelt’s younger daughter, Ethel Carow Roosevelt. She was active with the Red Cross, serving as a nurse in World War I, and later becoming active in historic preservation.
• Tony-award winning star of many a musical, Ethel Merman, was a familiar face for years. Some of the songs she made famous, like “There’s No Business Like Show Business” remain widely-known in the 21st century. 
• Ethel Skakel married Bobby Kennedy and raised the couple’s eleven children after her husband’s assassination, remaining politically active throughout her life.
• During the 1950s, I Love Lucy was a smash hit. Ethel Mertz served as Lucy‘s neighbor, BFF, and partner in hi-jinks. 
• In 1981, Kat​​​​harine Hepburn won an Oscar as Ethel Thayer in On Golden Pond.

By the time Hepburn won her Oscar, of course, she was playing a feisty 70-something. Ethel served as the perfect name for her age: strong and vital, but definitely not new.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME ETHEL? 

The baby name Ethel ranked in the US Top Ten from 1888 through 1903.

It remained in the US Top 100 through the 1930s. By the mid-1970s, the name Ethel left the US Top 1000 entirely, and has yet to return.

But could that be changing?

In the year 2000, just 14 girls were named Ethel. As of 2024, that number increased to 27 – still the edge of extinction, of course. 

And yet, other 1890s favorites, like Florence, Ruth, and Esther, feel quite current now. 

Ethel has been used for a minor Downton Abbey character. In 2011, British singer Lily Allen welcomed daugther Ethel Mary, a sister for Marnie Rose. 

COMEBACK POTENTIAL

Ethel might shorten to Ettie or even Ellie. It’s undeniably old school, but instantly recognizable. It’s not so very different from Hazel, Esther, or Thea. If you’re after strength, history, plus antique vibes, this might be the perfect baby name for your family.

What do you think of the baby name Ethel?

First published November 28, 2013, this post was revised on September 22, 2015; March 23, 2026; and March 27, 2026.