Ebone

♀ Girl

Pronounced EH-buh-nee /ˈɛb.ə.ni/Medium

Meaning: Ebone is a streamlined respelling of Ebony, from Greek ebenos, the prized dark hardwood. The trimmed spelling keeps the word's rich, deep-black imagery while giving it a distinctive finish, popular in the early nineties.Medium

In 30 seconds: Ebone is Ebony trimmed down — the Greek-rooted name of the deep-black wood (said 'EH-buh-nee'). A nineties respelling that peaked around 1993.

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Origin MediumEnglish, Greek

MeaningEbone is a streamlined respelling of Ebony, from Greek ebenos, the prized dark hardwood. The trimmed spelling keeps the word's rich, deep-black imagery while giving it a distinctive finish, popular in the early nineties.

U.S. rank (2003)#16491 ↘ Falling

2003 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1993

Total births (all-time)≈ 1,182

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Ebone is a respelling of Ebony, from Greek ebenos, the dark tropical hardwood long prized for carving. As Ebony flourished in African-American families through the eighties and nineties, spellings like this one multiplied, and Ebone reached its high near 1993 at close to a hundred girls a year.

A girl named Ebone at that peak is in her thirties today. The variant thinned as Ebony itself cooled after the nineties, and it reads as a name of that decade; Ebony and Ivory are its nearest relations in imagery and sound.

Did you know? Ebone drops the '-y' from Ebony but keeps its sound and its meaning — the lustrous black ebony wood — one of several fresh spellings the name took on at its early-nineties height.

Overall data confidence 60%

References — Ebone — Respelling of Ebony (Gk ebenos); early-1990s peak

Variations

EbonyEbonieEboni

Nicknames

EbBoni

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Ebone…

Ebony— the standard spelling Ebone trims

Ivory— a like color-and-material name of contrasting shade

Chanel— a same-era stylish nineties girl's name

Ashanti— a like name of African resonance from the period

Explore names like Ebone

By thememodern greek respelling nineties

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Ebone mean?

Ebone is a respelling of Ebony, from the Greek for the dark ebony wood; it shares that meaning.

How do you pronounce Ebone?

It's said EH-buh-nee /ˈɛb.ə.ni/ — three syllables, stress on the first.

Is Ebone a boy or girl name?

Ebone is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Ebone?

Ebone was a rare variant of a nineties favorite and has been uncommon since; it reads as a name of that decade.