Ervil
A rarely used American name of unknown meaning and origin.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Ervil. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ervil today is around 86 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ervil births was 1923 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ervil. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Ervil is about 86 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Ervils were born before 1950.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ervil. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
1923
9 babies that year
Average age
86
years old
1942 SSA rank
#3,326
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Ervil: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ervil from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 36 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ervil 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 Ervil during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ervil
The given name Ervil is believed to have originated in the early medieval period, around the 5th or 6th century CE. Its roots can be traced back to the Germanic languages, particularly the Old High German name "Arwil" or "Arwilo," which was derived from the words "ar" meaning "eagle" and "wil" meaning "desire" or "will."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ervil can be found in the Codex Sangallensis, a 9th-century manuscript that contains a list of names from the Alemannic region of present-day Germany and Switzerland. This suggests that the name was widely used among the Alemannic tribes during the early medieval period.
In the 11th century, the name Ervil appeared in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholders commissioned by William the Conqueror in England. This indicates that the name had spread beyond its Germanic origins and was in use among the Anglo-Saxon population of England at the time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Ervil. One of the earliest was Ervil of Auxerre, a Frankish bishop who lived in the late 6th century and played a significant role in the Christianization of Gaul. Another was Ervil the Scribe, a 9th-century monk from the Abbey of St. Gall, known for his contributions to the preservation and copying of manuscripts.
In the 12th century, Ervil of Würzburg was a German ecclesiastic and scholar who served as the Bishop of Würzburg from 1165 to 1171. He was known for his support of the arts and his patronage of the Romanesque cathedral in Würzburg.
During the Renaissance period, Ervil Horstmann was a German painter and engraver active in the late 15th century, known for his works depicting religious themes and scenes from everyday life.
In more recent times, Ervil LeBaron was an American criminal and leader of a polygamous Mormon fundamentalist group known as the Church of the Lamb of God. He was responsible for orchestrating a series of murders in the 1970s and was ultimately convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
While the name Ervil has fallen out of common usage in modern times, its rich history and origins span across various cultures and time periods, reflecting the diverse linguistic and cultural influences that have shaped the development of personal names over the centuries.
People
Ervil + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ervil 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
Ervil: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ervil?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ervil 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Ervil a common name?
We classify Ervil as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 58 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ervil most popular?
The single biggest year for Ervil was 1923, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ervil is about 86 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Ervil in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ervil a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ervil in the SSA data are male. 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 Ervil still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ervil 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 Ervil 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Ervil?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.