Ebba Name Meaning, Origins & History

Ebba

Pronunciation: EB-uh

Meaning Tide Origin Old English Gender Girl
GIRLS RANK
#5,010
TREND
2,302
BOYS RANK
#11,024
TREND
173

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of girls named Ebba in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Ebba

  • 953 babies named Ebba: U.S. records list 953 babies given the name Ebba from 1880 through 2025. Even 28 boys received the name Ebba - about 1 boy for every 33 girls.

What Does the Name Ebba Mean?

Ebba is a feminine name of Germanic origin meaning "boar." It comes from the Old High German ebba, which traces to the Proto-Germanic *eburaz, the word for the wild boar. The same root appears in Old English as eofor and in Old Norse as jöfurr, and it was widely used in Germanic personal naming.

There is a second, overlapping route to the name. In Scandinavia and Germany, Ebba is also explained as a feminine form of Ebbe, a short form of compound names beginning with the element Eber-, such as Eberhard. That element means "boar" as well, so both explanations lead back to the same word. The boar in Germanic naming commonly stood for strength and courage, but that is a later symbolic reading of the animal, not part of the word's literal sense.

Ebba Name History & Origins

The Germanic boar word *eburaz was used in personal names throughout the Germanic-speaking world. In England it produced the Old English feminine name Æbbe, borne by several Anglo-Saxon abbesses. The best known is Saint Æbbe the Elder, who governed a monastery at Coldingham in Northumbria and died in 683. A later namesake, Æbbe the Younger, was abbess of the same house; medieval accounts say she and her nuns disfigured themselves to avoid capture by Viking raiders. That episode belongs to traditional religious storytelling rather than to firm contemporary record.

In Scandinavia the name appears as Ebba, alongside the masculine form Ebbe, which is used in Denmark and Sweden. One documented bearer is Ebba Brahe, a seventeenth-century Swedish noblewoman remembered for her connection to King Gustavus Adolphus. The name is also found in Germany. Through both the Anglo-Saxon Æbbe and the Scandinavian and German Ebba, the name reflects the same old boar element, though it developed separately in each language area.

How Popular is the Name Ebba?

Ebba recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2025. Its best rank was #595 in 1888.

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.

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 Ebba 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 are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.

✦ Ebba's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ebba's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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