<p>Due to their large electric field-induced strains, (Na_0.5Bi_0.5)TiO₃ (NBT)-based lead-free piezoceramics show promise to replace lead-containing piezoelectric materials in actuator applications. However, they have some disadvantages such as large strain hysteresis and a requirement for high electric driving fields. The combined effects of chemical modification and crystallographic orientation in specific directions are effective strategies for overcoming the drawbacks of NBT-based ceramics. Chemical modification of NBT-BaTiO₃ by the addition of SrTiO₃ can transform it into an incipient piezoelectric, characterized by large electric field-induced strains but accompanied by significant hysteresis. To overcome this limitation, in the present work strain hysteresis is reduced by enhancing ergodicity and boosting the electrostrictive effect through the incorporation of NaNbO₃ templates. At the same time, maximum strain is improved by inducing {001} crystallographic orientation via the Templated Grain Growth (TGG) method. The combination of {001} crystallographic orientation with enhanced ergodicity has improved unipolar strain (S_uni = 0.203%) and electrostrictive coefficient (Q₃₃ = 0.0288 m⁴/C²) while significantly reducing strain hysteresis (H = 21.6%) at an electric field of 3.5&#xa0;kV/mm in the 3 wt% NaNbO₃ textured sample, compared to an untextured counterpart (S_uni = 0.13%, Q₃₃ = 0.0136 m⁴/C² and H = 47.2%). These results demonstrate that combining Templated Grain Growth with increased ergodic and electrostrictive behavior is an effective approach to reduce hysteresis while enhancing strain.</p>