Efrain is the Spanish form of Ephraim, the Hebrew name of Joseph's younger son in the Book of Genesis, which means "fruitful" or "doubly fruitful". One of the twelve tribes of Israel was named after him. Efrain has long been a steady choice in Mexican American families: it ranked number 553 in 2000, slipped out of the top 1000 by 2015 and stands at number 1494 in 2025.