Fun Facts About the Name Eber
- More than 1 thousand babies named Eber: U.S. records list 1,328 babies given the name Eber from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Eber Mean?
Eber has two unrelated origins that happen to be spelled the same way. The Hebrew name is ʿĒḇer (עֵבֶר), built on the root עבר (ʿ-ḇ-r), which means "to cross over" or "to pass beyond." It is usually explained as "beyond" or "the other side," so the name expresses a direction or a place rather than a personal quality. This is the form that appears in the genealogies of Genesis.
The German name element Eber is a different word entirely: it means "boar," from Old High German ebur. It was used mainly as the first part of compound given names such as Eberhard and Eberwin, where the boar suggested strength. The Germanic "boar" and the Hebrew "beyond" share nothing but spelling.
Eber Name History & Origins
In Genesis, Eber is the son of Shelah and the great-grandson of Shem (Genesis 10:24; 11:14 - 17). He is named as the father of Peleg and Joktan, and Genesis 10 calls Shem "the father of all the children of Eber," a phrase that links him to the wider kin group from which the Israelites traced their descent. The genealogy in Genesis 11 gives him a lifespan of 464 years, and Luke 3:35 places him in the ancestry of Jesus.
Because the Hebrew word for "Hebrew" (עִבְרִי, ʿIḇrī) comes from the same root, Eber has long been connected with the origin of the word "Hebrew." That explanation is traditional rather than settled. Many scholars instead take ʿIḇrī from the root in the sense of "one who crossed over" (perhaps from beyond the Euphrates), and some have connected it to the groups called ʿApiru in ancient Near Eastern texts. What the evidence supports is a shared root, not that the ethnic term comes from the man Eber.
The Germanic element Eber goes back to Old High German ebur, a word for the boar that also appears in Old English as eofor. It was productive in compound names, especially Eberhard, and later became a family name as well. It is also used on its own as a given name in German-speaking regions, and it appears among people of German descent elsewhere, including Brazil.
How Popular is the Name Eber?
Eber recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2007. Its best rank was #664 in 1882.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,930 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2024 | #4,729 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2023 | #4,633 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2022 | #4,464 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2021 | #6,810 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2020 | #5,085 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2019 | #6,177 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2018 | #4,789 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2017 | #5,599 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2016 | #5,184 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2015 | #4,761 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2014 | #4,929 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2013 | #3,778 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2012 | #4,581 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #4,260 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2010 | #3,650 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2009 | #4,630 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2008 | #3,507 | 31 | 0.0015% |
| 2007 | #2,877 | 41 | 0.0020% |
| 2006 | #3,101 | 35 | 0.0017% |
| 2005 | #3,035 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 2004 | #3,560 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 2003 | #3,304 | 28 | 0.0014% |
| 2002 | #2,898 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 2001 | #2,822 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 2000 | #3,815 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1999 | #3,618 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1998 | #3,419 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1997 | #3,284 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1996 | #3,050 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1995 | #4,114 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1994 | #2,795 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 1993 | #3,877 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1992 | #4,171 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1991 | #3,864 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 1990 | #3,354 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1989 | #4,600 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1988 | #4,250 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #5,098 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #4,578 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #4,241 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1982 | #5,183 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #5,729 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #4,285 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1972 | #5,188 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #3,649 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #2,695 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1953 | #3,532 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1950 | #3,420 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1948 | #3,409 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #2,717 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1946 | #3,661 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1944 | #2,352 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1943 | #3,685 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1941 | #3,240 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1940 | #2,720 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1939 | #2,907 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1938 | #3,270 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1935 | #3,360 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1934 | #3,060 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1933 | #2,593 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1932 | #3,161 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1931 | #2,366 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1930 | #3,100 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1929 | #3,059 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1928 | #2,189 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1927 | #2,324 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1926 | #2,006 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1925 | #2,116 | 15 | 0.0013% |
| 1924 | #2,154 | 15 | 0.0013% |
| 1923 | #3,570 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1922 | #2,168 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1921 | #2,087 | 16 | 0.0015% |
| 1920 | #2,161 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1919 | #1,996 | 16 | 0.0016% |
| 1918 | #1,845 | 18 | 0.0018% |
| 1917 | #1,605 | 21 | 0.0023% |
| 1916 | #1,979 | 15 | 0.0017% |
| 1915 | #2,210 | 12 | 0.0014% |
| 1914 | #2,500 | 8 | 0.0012% |
| 1906 | #1,154 | 6 | 0.0045% |
| 1897 | #1,108 | 5 | 0.0044% |
| 1896 | #919 | 7 | 0.0059% |
| 1892 | #764 | 9 | 0.0074% |
| 1889 | #688 | 9 | 0.0081% |
| 1888 | #955 | 6 | 0.0050% |
| 1887 | #974 | 5 | 0.0049% |
| 1886 | #1,005 | 5 | 0.0045% |
| 1885 | #863 | 6 | 0.0056% |
| 1882 | #664 | 9 | 0.0079% |
| 1881 | #905 | 5 | 0.0050% |
| 1880 | #766 | 7 | 0.0063% |
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 Eber 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.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Eber's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Eber's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.