Errin
An Irish masculine name derived from a Gaelic word meaning "companion".
Name Census estimates that about 1,045 living Americans carry the first name Errin. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 75.8% of registrations being female. The average person named Errin today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Errin births was 1977 (56 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Errin. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Errin with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.0K
~ 1 in 327,995 Americans
Peak year
1977
56 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2010 SSA rank
#12,845
Tracked since 1964
Census
Errin in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,097 people with the first name Errin, which placed it at #11,619 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#11,619
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,097 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
63.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Errin
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Errin is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.7%) and Hispanic (4.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Errin described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Errin at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.4% · 695
- Black or African American25.7% · 282
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 51
- Two or more races3.9% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 11
Gender
Gender distribution for Errin
Errin is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,119 total registrations, 271 (24.2%) were male and 848 (75.8%) were female.
Errin as a male name
- Ranked #12,845 in 2010
- 5 male births in 2010
- Peak: 1975 (16 births)
Errin as a female name
- Ranked #14,677 in 2017
- 6 female births in 2017
- Peak: 1977 (46 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Errin on both sides of the split. Of the 1,103 people counted with this name, 299 were male (27.1%) and 804 were female (72.9%).
Popularity
Errin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Errin from the 1960s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 420 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Errin by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Errin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Errins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Ohio, Texas recorded the most babies named Errin, while Texas, Ohio, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Errin
The name Errin is believed to have originated from the Gaelic language, which was spoken in Ireland and parts of Scotland. It is thought to be a variant of the Irish name Erin or Eirinn, which means "fertile" or "green land."
In ancient Irish mythology, Erin was a goddess associated with fertility and sovereignty. The name was often used to refer to the island of Ireland itself, and it appears in many ancient Irish texts and poems.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Errin is in the 9th century Irish manuscript, the Book of Armagh. This manuscript contains a collection of texts related to St. Patrick and the early Christian Church in Ireland.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Errin. One of the most famous was Errin the Navigator, an Irish monk who lived in the 6th century. He is credited with establishing several monasteries and spreading Christianity throughout parts of Europe.
Another historical figure with the name Errin was Errin of Clonmacnoise, a renowned Irish scholar and poet who lived in the 9th century. He is known for his literary works and his teachings at the famous monastery of Clonmacnoise.
In the 12th century, there was Errin Ua Conchobair, a Irish king who ruled over the province of Connacht. He is remembered for his military campaigns and his efforts to unite the various Irish kingdoms.
During the 16th century, Errin O'Donnell was a prominent Irish chieftain and leader of the O'Donnell clan. He played a significant role in the Nine Years' War against the English forces in Ireland.
In more recent times, Errin Whack was an American writer and activist who lived from 1935 to 2005. She was known for her work in promoting civil rights and social justice.
The name Errin has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from various backgrounds and eras. While its popularity may have fluctuated over time, it remains a name with deep roots in Irish culture and mythology.
People
Errin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Errin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Errin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Errin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,045 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Errin going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 327,995 US residents.
Is Errin a common name?
We classify Errin as "Rare". It ranks above 90.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,119 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Errin most popular?
The single biggest year for Errin was 1977, when 56 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Errin is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Errin in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,097 people with the name Errin, or 0.36 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,619 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Errin in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Errin?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Errin on both sides of the split. Of the 1,103 people counted with this name, 299 were male (27.1%) and 804 were female (72.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Errin?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Errin is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.7%) and Hispanic (4.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Errin most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Errin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.4% (695 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Errin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Errin a female name?
Yes, 75.8% of people registered as Errin in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Errin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Errin in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Errin can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Errin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.