UK boy's name
Ephraim
A masculine Hebrew name meaning "fruitful" or "productive".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Ephraim is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Ephraim popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #968, with 32 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 32 births.
This profile covers 521 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
Ephraim is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 520 living people in the UK are called Ephraim. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Ephraim ranked #968 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 32 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 32 boys were registered as Ephraim.
- • Ephraim ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #392 in 2020.
- • About 520 living people in the UK are estimated to have Ephraim as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#968
2024
Births in 2024
32
Latest year
Peak year
2024
32 births
Estimated living
520
2026
Meaning
What does Ephraim mean?
The name Ephraim has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture. It is derived from the Hebrew words "ephrah" meaning "ash heap" or "fertile" and "parah" meaning "to bear fruit." The name is thought to have originated sometime around the 2nd millennium BC.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Ephraim comes from the Bible's Old Testament. Ephraim was one of the two sons of Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers in the Book of Genesis. Ephraim and his brother Manasseh were born in Egypt to Joseph's wife Asenath. The two brothers went on to become the patriarchs of two of the twelve tribes of Israel.
In the Book of Joshua, the territory allotted to the tribe of Ephraim is described as being located in the central region of ancient Palestine, roughly corresponding to modern-day Samaria. The tribe played a significant role in the history of ancient Israel, with several notable figures bearing the name Ephraim.
One such figure was Ephraim, son of Elhanan, who was one of David's mighty warriors according to 2 Samuel 23:34. Another was Ephraim, son of Micah, who is mentioned in Judges 17:1-4 as the maker of a silver idol that became the object of worship for the tribe of Dan.
During the reign of King Jeroboam I in the 10th century BC, the northern tribes of Israel broke away from the united kingdom, forming their own kingdom with its capital in Samaria. This northern kingdom was often referred to as the "House of Ephraim" or "Ephraim" due to the tribe's prominent role.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Ephraim. One was Ephraim Syrus (306-373 AD), a prominent Christian theologian and hymnographer who was born in Nisibis, Mesopotamia. Another was Ephraim of Antioch (c. 505-546 AD), a Byzantine theologian and author who served as Patriarch of Antioch from 538 to 546 AD.
In more recent times, notable figures with the name Ephraim include Ephraim Chambers (c. 1680-1740), an English writer and editor who published the influential Cyclopaedia, or a Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. Ephraim McDowell (1771-1830) was an American physician credited with performing one of the first successful abdominal surgeries in 1809.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Ephraim over time
The chart below shows babies named Ephraim registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Ephraim, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 32 births in 2024, compared with 32 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ephraim by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Ephraim was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1267 | 112 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1258 | 213 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1241 | 168 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1700 | 28 | 4 |
Geography
Where Ephraim is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Ephraim. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Ephraim ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #392 in 2020.
Across the UK
Ephraim in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#392 in 2020
1 years of NISRA records, 3 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Ephraim
-
Ephraim Lewis
singer-songwriter
singer-songwriter (1967-1994)
1967-1994
-
Ephraim Mirvis
rabbi
South African rabbi
1956-
-
Ephraim Einhorn
rabbi
rabbi
1918-2021
-
Ephraim Anderson
microbiologist; bacteriologist
British bacteriologist
1911-2006
-
Ephraim John Burford
historian; journalist
British historian
1905-1997
-
Ephraim Lipson
historian; university teacher; economist; economic historian
British historian (1888–1960)
1888-1960
-
Ephraim Longworth
association football coach; association football player
English footballer (1887–1968)
1887-1968
-
Ephraim Curzon
rugby league player
English rugby union and rugby league footballer
1883-1966
Related
Names similar to Ephraim
- Ethan 77,394
- Edward 53,212
- Elliot 23,450
- Elijah 22,369
- Ellis 19,358
- Elliott 16,964
- Evan 14,535
- Ezra 11,838
- Ewan 10,685
- Eli 8,126
- Elias 7,049
- Eric 6,654
FAQ
Ephraim: questions and answers
How popular is the name Ephraim in the UK right now?
In 2024, Ephraim was ranked #968 for boys in England and Wales, with 32 births registered.
When was Ephraim most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 32 babies registered as Ephraim in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Ephraim?
A masculine Hebrew name meaning "fruitful" or "productive".
How many people are called Ephraim in the UK?
A total of 521 babies have been registered as Ephraim across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here and 3 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Ephraim most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Ephraim ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #392 in 2020. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.