Female name
Ethel
344 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 2024. Expression number: 5.
Origin
Short form of names of Old English origin beginning with Ethel-, æþele (“noble”). First used in the 19th century. Cognate to the Germanic Adela and Adele.From Wiktionary, entry “Ethel”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Do you know a Ethel?
Send them the page about their name.
How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 2024: 36 births. 344 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 2010s and 2020s. It really came into use around 2015. It is still given: 141 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 1918: 8,110 births. 280,412 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given steadily, decade after decade, from the 1890s to the 1930s. At its peak, it ranked 6th among girls' names in 1896. It is still given: 139 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
In Ireland
Peak in 1969: 17 births. 178 births from 1964 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1960s and 1970s. It is still given: 14 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names, CC BY 4.0.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 1,270 | 1900–2025 | — |
Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms, Etalab Open Licence 2.0.
The numbers of the name
Each letter has a value: A = 1, B = 2… I = 9, then J = 1 again (Pythagorean method). We add them up, then reduce to a single digit, except 11, 22 and 33.
■ vowel · ■ consonant
Expression
All the letters: talents, the way you act.
5
freedom, change, movement
5 + 2 + 8 + 5 + 3 = 23 → 5
Soul
The vowels: what drives you deep down.
1
initiative, independence, beginnings
5 + 5 = 10 → 1
Personality
The consonants: what others notice first.
4
work, structure, stability
2 + 8 + 3 = 13 → 4
- Digits missing from the name
- 1, 4, 6, 7, 9
- Most frequent digit
- 5 · freedom, change, movement
The meaning of the numbers comes from numerological tradition; it isn't a measure of your personality. A full portrait needs your first and middle names, your last name at birth, and your date of birth. How we calculate
Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.