Fun Facts About the Name Ebb
- 247 babies named Ebb: U.S. records list 247 babies given the name Ebb from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ebb Mean?
Ebb is an English word name taken from the ordinary word for the falling or receding tide. In Old English the noun was ebba, with a related verb ebbian, "to flow back." The word goes back to a Germanic base meaning "away, off" - the same source as Latin ab (from) and Greek apó (away from) - which is why the water's withdrawal gives the word its sense. Cognates in other Germanic languages include Old Frisian ebba, Middle Dutch ebbe, and modern German Ebbe, all naming the same movement of the sea.
Because Ebb is a word name rather than a form inherited from an older personal name, it has no separate etymology of its own: its meaning is the literal meaning of the English word. The word later picked up a figurative sense of any decline or lowering, as in "the ebb of fortune," but that extension does not change the underlying meaning.
Ebb is not related to the Scandinavian masculine name Ebbe or the feminine name Ebba, which have their own, separately debated origins.
Ebb Name History & Origins
Ebb is the modern spelling of an Old English word that has been in the language since its earliest records. Old English had the noun ebba along with a verb, ebbian, and the word passed into Middle English as ebbe before settling into its present form. The same Germanic root appears in Old Frisian ebba, Middle Dutch ebbe, and German Ebbe, all referring to the fall of the tide; the Latin and Greek relatives of the root kept the more general sense "away from" instead of the sea sense.
By the 16th and 17th centuries the English word was already used figuratively for any decline or lessening, as in the familiar pairing "ebb and flow" for the alternating movement of the tide and, by extension, of fortune.
Its use as a personal name is far less common than the word itself. In English-speaking countries Ebb appears from time to time as a given name, evidently drawn from the word for the tide, and it has also served occasionally as a shortened form of names beginning with Eb-, such as Eben. A single short record rarely shows which of those routes a particular bearer's name came by, so the exact path is usually impossible to establish.
Ebb should be kept distinct from the Scandinavian masculine Ebbe and the feminine Ebba, the latter borne by the seventh-century Northumbrian abbess St. Æbbe of Coldingham. Those names developed separately from Ebb and their origins remain a matter of debate.
How Popular is the Name Ebb?
Ebb recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1890. Its best rank was #542 in 1890.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | #4,016 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1953 | #3,211 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1950 | #3,419 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1942 | #2,769 | 8 | 0.0006% |
| 1939 | #3,214 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1936 | #3,694 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1935 | #3,040 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1934 | #3,827 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1932 | #2,917 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1931 | #3,182 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1930 | #3,696 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1929 | #3,319 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1928 | #3,160 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1927 | #4,365 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1926 | #3,838 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1925 | #2,805 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1924 | #4,005 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1922 | #3,616 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1921 | #4,523 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1919 | #3,186 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1916 | #3,262 | 7 | 0.0008% |
| 1915 | #3,165 | 7 | 0.0008% |
| 1914 | #2,005 | 11 | 0.0017% |
| 1913 | #2,328 | 7 | 0.0014% |
| 1912 | #2,103 | 7 | 0.0016% |
| 1907 | #1,235 | 6 | 0.0041% |
| 1902 | #1,042 | 6 | 0.0049% |
| 1900 | #1,363 | 5 | 0.0033% |
| 1890 | #542 | 13 | 0.0117% |
| 1889 | #1,010 | 5 | 0.0045% |
| 1888 | #954 | 6 | 0.0050% |
| 1887 | #973 | 5 | 0.0049% |
| 1886 | #715 | 8 | 0.0072% |
| 1885 | #979 | 5 | 0.0046% |
| 1884 | #883 | 6 | 0.0052% |
| 1882 | #867 | 6 | 0.0053% |
| 1881 | #903 | 5 | 0.0050% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Ebb Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are fine when in harmony but changeable when in discord, because many of your best qualities are then reversed. You are entertaining but may be impulsive. Freedom is a necessity, and you find it difficult to settle down. Your versatility results in many changes, and often brings travel. Your fine intellect is capable of high honors if applied seriously. You are capable of inspired thinking applied to material things. You can be restless, changeable, and very sexy. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Ebb's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ebb's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.