Ebony
Ebony is a girl's name of English origin.
Meaning
Deep black wood or ebony tree.
Origin and history
Ebony is a vocabulary name derived from the dark, hard wood of the ebony tree. Its ultimate roots lie in the Ancient Egyptian word 'hbny', which reached English through Greek and Latin. The name gained significant popularity in the United States during the late 20th century.
Popularity in the United States
38,998 babies in the United States have been named Ebony since 1880. It ranks #699 all-time. Among babies born since 2020 it ranks #1946.
States where it is most popular
- NY (11.2 %)
- CA (8.9 %)
- TX (6.7 %)
- FL (5.7 %)
- IL (5.7 %)
Trends by decade
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880-1890 | 0 |
| 1890-1900 | 0 |
| 1900-1910 | 0 |
| 1910-1920 | 0 |
| 1920-1930 | 0 |
| 1930-1940 | 0 |
| 1940-1950 | 0 |
| 1950-1960 | 6 |
| 1960-1970 | 59 |
| 1970-1980 | 6,688 |
| 1980-1990 | 18,263 |
| 1990-2000 | 10,174 |
| 2000-2010 | 2,911 |
| 2010-2019 | 742 |
| 2020-2029 | 155 |
Famous people named Ebony
- Ebony Hoffman: Basketball Player, Coach
Fun facts
- The word stems from the Ancient Egyptian term 'hbny', which referred to precious dark timber.
- Ebony rose rapidly in U.S. popularity during the 1970s and 1980s as a modern nature name.