Gender Masculine
Pronounced Pron. UR-nist(English) EHR-NEST(French) ər-NEST(Catalan) EHR-nest(Polish)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

Derived from Old High German ernust meaning "serious, earnest". It was introduced to England by the German House of Hanover when they inherited the British throne in the 18th century, though it did not become common until the following century. The American author and adventurer Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was a famous bearer of the name. It was also used by Oscar Wilde for a character in his comedy The Importance of Being Earnest (1895).

Related Names

VariantEarnest(English)
DiminutivesErn, Ernie(English)
Feminine FormsErnestine(English) Ernestine(French) Erna(Slovene)
Other Languages & CulturesArnošt(Czech) Ernst(Danish) Ernst(Dutch) Erno(Finnish) Ernst(German) Ernust(Germanic) Ernő(Hungarian) Ernesto(Italian) Ernests(Latvian) Ernestas(Lithuanian) Ernst(Norwegian) Ernesto(Portuguese) Arnošt(Sorbian) Ernesto(Spanish) Ernst(Swedish)
User SubmissionsÉrnest, Ernèst

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   natural   wholesome   strong   refined   strange   simple   serious  

Name Days

Croatia: January 12
Poland: January 12
Poland: March 13
Poland: March 27
Poland: July 13
Slovakia: January 12

Categories

Entry updated December 7, 2022