ENIKŐfHungarianCreated by the Hungarian poet Mihály Vörösmarty in the 19th century. He based it on the name of the legendary mother of the Hungarian people,
Enéh, which may mean "cow" or "deer".
ENKImNear Eastern MythologyDerived from Sumerian
en-ki "lord of the earth" (though maybe originally from
en-kur "lord of the underworld"). Enki, called
Ea by the Babylonians, was the Sumerian god of water and wisdom and the keeper of the Me, the divine laws.
ENLILmNear Eastern MythologyDerived from Sumerian
en-lil "lord of the wind". Enlil was the Sumerian god of the wind and storms, the son of An and Ki.
ÉNNAmIrishPossibly means "bird-like" in Irish. This was the name of several Irish kings and heroes. It was also borne by a 6th-century saint who built the monastery of Killeany.
ENNIOmItalianItalian form of the Roman family name
Ennius which is of unknown meaning. Quintus Ennius was an early Roman poet.
ENNISmEnglishFrom an Irish surname which was derived from Gaelic
inis meaning "island".
ENOLAfEnglishMeaning unknown. This name first appeared in the late 19th century. The aircraft that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was named 'Enola Gay' after the mother of the pilot.
ENRICOmItalianItalian form of
HENRY. Enrico Fermi (1901-1954) was an Italian physicist who did work on the development of the nuclear bomb.
ENZOmItalianThe meaning of this name is uncertain. In some cases it seems to be an old Italian form of
HEINZ, though in other cases it could be a variant of the Germanic name
ANZO. In modern times it is also used as a short form of names ending in
enzo, such as
VINCENZO or
LORENZO.
EOGHANmIrish, Scottish, Irish MythologyPossibly means "born from the yew tree" in Irish, though it is possibly derived from
EUGENE. It was borne by several legendary or semi-legendary Irish figures, including a son of
Niall of the Nine Hostages.
EOSfGreek MythologyMeans "dawn" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess of the dawn.
ÉOWYNfLiteratureMeans "horse joy" in Old English. This name was invented by J. R. R. Tolkien who used Old English to represent the Rohirric language. In his novel 'The Lord of the Rings' (1954) Eowyn is the niece of King Theoden of Rohan. She slays the Lord of the Nazgul in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
EPHRATHfBiblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekMeans "fruitful place" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this name was borne by one of the wives of Caleb. Also in the Bible, it is the name of the place where Rachel was buried.
EPIFANIOmSpanish, ItalianFrom the Latin name
Epiphanius, which was from the Greek name
Επιφανιος (Epiphanios), itself derived from the Greek word
επιφανεια (epiphaneia) meaning "appearance, manifestation". This name was borne by a few early saints. It is associated with the event known in English as the Epiphany (Spanish
Epifanía, Italian
Epifania, Latin
Epiphania), the coming of the three Magi to visit the infant
Jesus.
EPIKTETOSmAncient GreekAncient Greek name meaning "newly acquired". This was the name of a 1st-century Greek stoic philosopher.
EPIMETHEUSmGreek MythologyDerived from Greek
επιμηθεια (epimetheia) meaning "hindsight, hindthought". In Greek mythology he was a Titan, the brother of the god of forethought Prometheus.
EPIPHANESmAncient GreekMeans "appearing, manifesting" in Greek. This was an epithet of two 2nd-century BC Hellenistic rulers: the Seleucid king Antiochus IV and the Ptolemaic king Ptolemy V.
EPIPHANYfEnglish (Rare)From the name of the Christian festival (January 6) which commemorates the visit of the Magi to the infant
Jesus. It is also an English word meaning "sudden appearance" or "sudden perception", ultimately deriving from Greek
επιφανεια (epiphaneia) "manifestation".
EPONAfCeltic MythologyDerived from Gaulish
epos meaning "horse". This was the name of the Celtic goddess of horses.
EPONINEfLiteratureMeaning unknown. Victor Hugo used this name in his novel 'Les Misérables' (1862) for a daughter of the Thénardiers. Her mother got her name from a romance novel.
ERANmBiblicalMeans "watchful, vigilant" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament he is a grandson of Ephraim.
ERASMUSmLate Greek (Latinized)Derived from Greek
ερασμιος (erasmios) meaning "beloved". Saint Erasmus, also known as Saint Elmo, was a 4th-century martyr who is the patron saint of sailors. Erasmus was also the name of a Dutch scholar of the Renaissance period.
ERASTUSmBiblical, Biblical LatinLatinized form of the Greek name
Εραστος (Erastos) meaning "beloved". This was the name of an assistant of
Paul mentioned in Acts and two epistles in the New Testament.
ERATOfGreek MythologyMeans "lovely" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the nine Muses, the muse of lyric poetry.
ERCANmTurkishFrom Turkish
er "brave man" and
can "soul, life".
ERDMANNmGermanVariant of
HARTMANN. It can also be interpreted as meaning "earth man" from German
Erde "earth", and thus was sometimes used as a translation of
Adam.
EREKLEmGeorgianGeorgian form of
Herakleios (see
HERACLIUS). This name was borne by two Georgian kings of the Bagrationi dynasty.
ERESHKIGALfNear Eastern MythologyMeans "lady of the great earth" in Sumerian. In Sumerian and Babylonian mythology she was the violent goddess of death and the underworld.
ERHANmTurkishFrom Turkish
er "brave man" and
han, which is from the title
khan meaning "leader".
ERICmEnglish, Swedish, German, SpanishFrom the Old Norse name
Eiríkr, derived from the elements
ei "ever, always" and
ríkr "ruler". A notable bearer was Eiríkr inn Rauda (Eric the Red in English), a 10th-century navigator and explorer who discovered Greenland. This was also the name of several early kings of Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
... [more] ERICHmGermanGerman form of
ERIC. The German novelist Erich Maria Remarque (1898-1970) was the author of 'All Quiet on the Western Front'.
ERIKmSwedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, Hungarian, German, Dutch, EnglishScandinavian form of
ERIC. This was the name of kings of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. King Erik IX of Sweden (12th century) is the patron saint of that country.
ERIKAfSwedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovene, Croatian, English, ItalianFeminine form of
ERIK. It also coincides with the word for "heather" in some languages.
ERINfEnglish, IrishAnglicized form of
EIREANN. It has been used as a given name since the middle of the 20th century.
ERISfGreek MythologyMeans "strife" in Greek. In Greek mythology Eris was the goddess of discord. She was the sister and companion of
Ares.
ÉRIUfIrish MythologyFrom the name of an Irish goddess, who according to legend gave her name to Ireland (which is called
Éire in Irish). In reality, the goddess probably got her name from that of the island, which may mean something like "abundant land" in Old Irish.
ERLANDmSwedish, DanishFrom the Old Norse byname
Erlendr, which was derived from
örlendr meaning "foreigner".
ERLINGmSwedish, Norwegian, DanishMeans "descendant of the jarl", a derivative of the Old Norse word
jarl meaning "chieftain, nobleman, earl".
ERMAfEnglishVariant of
IRMA. It began to be used in the English-speaking world in the 19th century, along with
Irma.
ERMENRICHmAncient GermanicFrom the Germanic elements
ermen "whole, universal" and
ric "power". Ermenrich (also often called Ermanaric) was a 4th-century Gothic king.
ERMETEmItalianDerived from
Hermetis, the Latin genitive form of
HERMES, the name of the Greek messenger god.
ERNESTmEnglish, French, Slovene, PolishDerived from Germanic
eornost meaning "serious". 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).
EROSmGreek MythologyMeans "love" in Greek. In Greek mythology he was a young god, the son of
Aphrodite, who was armed with arrows that caused the victim to fall in love.
ERROLmEnglishFrom a surname which was originally derived from a Scottish place name. It was popularized as a given name by the Australian actor Errol Flynn (1909-1959).
ERSKINEmScottish, Irish, English (Rare)From a surname which was originally derived from the name of a Scottish town meaning "projecting height" in Gaelic. A famous bearer of the name was the Irish novelist and nationalist Erskine Childers (1870-1922).
ERWINmGerman, Dutch, Ancient GermanicDerived from the Germanic name
Hariwini, composed of the elements
hari "army" and
win "friend". It may have merged somewhat with the Germanic name
EBURWIN. A notable bearer was Erwin Schrodinger (1887-1961), an Austrian physicist who made contributions to quantum theory.
ERZSÉBETfHungarianHungarian form of
ELIZABETH. This is the native name of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. It was also borne by the infamous Erzsébet Báthory, a 16th-century countess and murderer.
ESAUmBiblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekFrom the Hebrew name
עֵשָׂו ('Esaw) which possibly meant "hairy". In the Old Testament Esau is the elder of the twin sons of
Isaac and
Rebecca. Once when he was very hungry he sold his birthright to his twin
Jacob for a bowl of stew. Later Jacob disguised himself as Esau and received the elder son's blessing from the blind Isaac. Esau was the ancestor of the Edomites.
ESERf & mTurkishMeans "product, achievement" in Turkish.
ESMÉm & fEnglish, DutchMeans "esteemed" or "loved" in Old French. It was first recorded in Scotland, being borne by the first Duke of Lennox in the 16th century.
ESMERALDAfSpanish, Portuguese, English, LiteratureMeans "emerald" in Spanish and Portuguese. Victor Hugo used this name in his novel 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' (1831), in which Esmeralda is the Gypsy girl who is loved by Quasimodo. It has occasionally been used in the English-speaking world since that time.
ESMONDmEnglish (Rare)Derived from the Old English elements
east "grace" and
mund "protection". This Old English name was rarely used after the Norman conquest. It was occasionally revived in the 19th century.
ESPERANZAfSpanishSpanish form of the Late Latin name
Sperantia which was derived from
sperare "to hope".
ESSENCEfEnglish (Modern)From the English word
essence which means either "odour, scent" or else "fundamental quality". Ultimately it derives from Latin
esse "to be".
ESTEEfJewishDiminutive of
ESTHER. A famous bearer was the American businesswoman Estée Lauder (1908-2004), founder of the cosmetics company that bears her name. Her birth name was Josephine Esther Mentzer. Apparently she added the accent to her name
Estee in order to make it appear French.
ESTELLAfEnglishLatinate form of
ESTELLE. This was the name of the heroine, Estella Havisham, in Charles Dickens' novel 'Great Expectations' (1860).
ESTELLEfEnglish, FrenchFrom an Old French name which was derived from Latin
stella, meaning "star". It was rare in the English-speaking world in the Middle Ages, but it was revived in the 19th century, perhaps due to the character Estella Havisham in Charles Dickens' novel 'Great Expectations' (1860).
ESTHERfEnglish, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical GreekPossibly means "star" in Persian. Alternatively it could be a derivative of the name of the Near Eastern goddess
ISHTAR. The Book of Esther in the Old Testament tells the story of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia. The king's advisor
Haman persuaded the king to exterminate all the Jews in the realm. Warned of this plot by her cousin
Mordecai, Esther revealed her Jewish ancestry and convinced the king to execute Haman instead. Her original Hebrew name was
Hadassah.
... [more] ÉTAÍNfIrish, Irish MythologyPossibly derived from Old Irish
ét "jealousy". In Irish mythology she was a sun and horse goddess who was the lover of Midir.
ETELKAfHungarianFeminine form of
ETELE created by the Hungarian writer András Dugonics for the main character in his novel 'Etelka' (1788).
ETERIfGeorgianMeans "ether, air" in Georgian. This name features in the Georgian opera 'Abesalom and Eteri' (1918).
ETHANmEnglish, French, Biblical, Biblical LatinFrom the Hebrew name
אֵיתָן ('Eitan) meaning "solid, enduring, firm". In the Old Testament this name is borne by a few minor characters, including the wise man Ethan the Ezrahite, supposedly the author of Psalm 89.
... [more] ETHELfEnglishShort form of names beginning with the Old English element
æðel meaning "noble". It was coined in the 19th century, when many Old English names were revived. It was popularized by the novels 'The Newcomes' (1855) by William Makepeace Thackeray and 'The Daisy Chain' (1856) by C. M. Yonge. A famous bearer was American actress and singer Ethel Merman (1908-1984).
ETHELBERTmEnglishMiddle English form of
ÆÐELBERHT. The name was very rare after the Norman conquest, but it was revived briefly in the 19th century.
ETSUKOfJapaneseFrom Japanese
悦 (etsu) meaning "joy, pleased" and
子 (ko) meaning "child", as well as other kanji combinations.
ETTAfEnglishShort form of
HENRIETTA and other names that end with
etta. A famous bearer was the American singer Etta James (1938-2012), who took her stage name from her real given name Jamesetta.
EUAfBiblical GreekForm of
Chawwah (see
EVE) used in the Greek translation of Old Testament.
Chawwah is also translated as
Zoe in the Greek Old Testament.
EUDESmMedieval FrenchOld French form of
Audo (see
OTTO). This was the name of an 8th-century French saint. It was also borne by a 9th-century French king.
EUDORAfGreek MythologyMeans "good gift" in Greek, from the elements
ευ (eu) "good" and
δωρον (doron) "gift". This was the name of a nymph, one of the Hyades, in Greek mythology.
EUGENEmEnglishEnglish form of
Eugenius, the Latin form of the Greek name
Ευγενιος (Eugenios) which was derived from the Greek word
ευγενης (eugenes) meaning "well born". It is composed of the elements
ευ (eu) "good" and
γενης (genes) "born". This was the name of several saints and four popes.
... [more] EUNm & fKoreanFrom Sino-Korean
恩 (eun) meaning "kindness, mercy, charity" or
銀 (eun) meaning "silver, money", as well as other hanja characters which are pronounced in the same way. It usually occurs in combination with another character, though it is sometimes used as a stand-alone name.
EUN-JEONGfKoreanFrom Sino-Korean
恩 (eun) meaning "kindness, mercy, charity" or
慇 (eun) meaning "careful, anxious, attentive" combined with
廷 (jeong) meaning "court" or
婷 (jeong) meaning "pretty, graceful". This name can be formed by other hanja character combinations as well.
EUN-JIfKoreanFrom Sino-Korean
恩 (eun) meaning "kindness, mercy, charity" combined with
智 (ji) meaning "wisdom, intellect" or
地 (ji) meaning "earth, soil, ground". Other hanja character combinations are possible.