EMMANUEL m Biblical, French, EnglishFrom the Hebrew name
עִמָּנוּאֵל ('Immanu'el) meaning "God is with us", from the roots
עִם ('im) meaning "with" and
אֵל ('el) meaning "God". This was the foretold name of the Messiah in the Old Testament. It has been used in England since the 16th century in the spellings
Emmanuel and
Immanuel, though it has not been widespread. The name has been more common in continental Europe, especially in Spain and Portugal (in the spellings
Manuel and
Manoel).
EMMELINE f EnglishFrom an Old French form of the Germanic name
Amelina, originally a diminutive of Germanic names beginning with the element
amal meaning "work". The Normans introduced this name to England.
EMMERICH m German, Ancient GermanicGermanic name, in which the second element is
ric meaning "power". The first element may be
ermen "whole, universal" (making it a relative of
Ermenrich),
amal "work, labour" (making it a relative of
Amalric) or
heim "home" (making it a relative of
Henry). It is likely that several forms merged into a single name.
EMMET m EnglishVariant of
EMMETT. It is used in Ireland in honour of the nationalist and rebel Robert Emmet (1778-1803).
EMMETT m EnglishFrom an English surname that was derived from a diminutive of the feminine given name
EMMA.
EMRE m TurkishMeans "friend, brother" in Turkish. This name was borne by the 13th-century Turkish poet Yunus Emre.
EMRYS m WelshWelsh form of
AMBROSE. Emrys Wledig (or Ambrosius Aurelianus) was a Romano-British military leader who fought against the invading Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century. Tales of his life were used by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth to create the character of Merlin, who he called Merlinus Ambrosius or Myrddin Emrys.
ENCARNACIÓN f SpanishMeans "incarnation" in Spanish. This is given in reference to the Incarnation of
Jesus in the womb of the Virgin
Mary.
ENDYMION m Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
ενδυειν (endyein) meaning "to dive into, to enter". In Greek mythology he was an Aeolian mortal loved by the moon goddess
Selene, who asked
Zeus to grant him eternal life. Zeus complied by putting him into an eternal sleep in a cave on Mount Latmos.
ENEKO m BasquePossibly derived from Basque
ene "my" and
ko, a diminutive suffix. This was the name of the first king of Pamplona or Navarre (9th century), whose name is usually rendered as
Íñigo.
ENGEL m German (Rare), Ancient GermanicOriginally this was a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element
angil, referring to the Germanic tribe known in English as the Angles. Since the Middle Ages it has been firmly associated with the German word
engel meaning "angel".
ENGELBERT m German, Ancient GermanicGermanic name composed of the elements
angil, the name of a Germanic tribe known in English as the Angles, and
beraht "bright". Saint Engelbert was a 13th-century archbishop of Cologne murdered by assassins.
ENGUERRAND m Medieval FrenchMedieval French form of the Germanic name
Engilram, which was composed of the elements
angil, the name of a Germanic tribe known in English as the Angles, and
hramn "raven". This was the name of several French nobles from Picardy.
ENHEDUANNA f AkkadianFrom Sumerian
En-hedu-anna, derived from
𒂗 (en) meaning "lady, high priestess" combined with
𒃶𒌌 (hedu) meaning "ornament" and the god's name
AN (2). This was the Sumerian title of a 23rd-century BC priestess and poet, identified as a daughter of
Sargon of Akkad. Presumably she had an Akkadian birth name, but it is unrecorded. She is regarded as one of the earliest known poets.
ENIKŐ f HungarianCreated 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".
ENKI m Sumerian MythologyFrom Sumerian
𒂗 (en) meaning "lord" and
𒆠 (ki) meaning "earth, ground" (though maybe originally from
𒆳 (kur) meaning "underworld, mountain"). Enki, called
Ea by the Akkadians, Assyrians and Babylonians, was the Sumerian god of water and wisdom and the keeper of the Me, the divine laws.
ENLIL m Sumerian MythologyFrom Sumerian
𒂗 (en) meaning "lord" and possibly
𒆤 (lil) meaning "wind". Enlil was the Sumerian god of the wind and storms, the son of
An and
Ki. He was later worshipped by the Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and other Mesopotamian peoples.
ÉNNA m IrishPossibly 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.
ENNIO m ItalianItalian form of the Roman family name
Ennius, which is of unknown meaning. Quintus Ennius was an early Roman poet.
ENNIS m EnglishFrom an Irish surname that was derived from Gaelic
inis meaning "island".
ENOLA f EnglishMeaning unknown. This name first appeared in the late 19th century. It is the name of the main character in the novel 'Enola; or, her Fatal Mistake' (1886) by Mary Young Ridenbaugh. The aircraft that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was named 'Enola Gay' after the mother of the pilot, who was herself named for the book character.
ENORA f Breton, FrenchBreton form of
HONORIA, or directly from Breton
enor "honour" (a word of Latin origin). This was the name of a 6th-century saint, the wife of Saint Efflamm.
ENRICO m ItalianItalian form of
HENRY. Enrico Fermi (1901-1954) was an Italian physicist who did work on the development of the nuclear bomb.
ENZO m ItalianThe 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.
EOFORHILD f Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
eofor "boar" and
hild "battle". This name was rarely used after the Norman Conquest.
EOFORWINE m Anglo-SaxonDerived from the Old English elements
eofor "boar" and
wine "friend". This name was rarely used after the Norman Conquest.
EOGHAN m Irish, 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.
EOS f Greek MythologyMeans "dawn" in Greek. This was the name of the Greek goddess of the dawn.
ÉOWYN f LiteratureMeans "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.
EPHRATH f Biblical, 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.
EPIFANIO m Spanish, 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.
EPIKTETOS m Ancient GreekAncient Greek name meaning "newly acquired". This was the name of a 1st-century Greek stoic philosopher.
EPIMETHEUS m Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
επιμηθεια (epimetheia) meaning "hindsight, hindthought". In Greek mythology he was a Titan, the brother of the god of forethought Prometheus.
EPIPHANES m Ancient 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.
EPIPHANY f English (Rare)From the name of the Christian festival (January 6) that 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".
EPONA f Celtic MythologyDerived from Gaulish
epos meaning "horse". This was the name of the Celtic goddess of horses.
EPONINE f LiteratureMeaning 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.
ERA f AlbanianDerived from Albanian
erë meaning "wind".
ERAN m BiblicalMeans "watchful, vigilant" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament he is a grandson of Ephraim.
ERASMUS m Late 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.
ERASTUS m Biblical, 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.
ERATO f Greek MythologyMeans "lovely" in Greek. In Greek mythology she was one of the nine Muses, the muse of lyric poetry.
ERCAN m TurkishFrom Turkish
er meaning "brave man" and
can meaning "soul, life".
ERDMANN m GermanVariant 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.
EREKLE m GeorgianGeorgian form of
Herakleios (see
HERACLIUS). This name was borne by two Georgian kings of the Bagrationi dynasty.
ERESHKIGAL f Sumerian MythologyMeans "lady of the great earth", from Sumerian
𒊩𒌆 (ereš) meaning "lady, queen" combined with
𒆠 (ki) meaning "earth" and
𒃲 (gal) meaning "great, big". In Sumerian mythology she was the goddess of death and the underworld.
ERHAN m TurkishFrom Turkish
er "brave man" and
han, which is from the title
khan meaning "leader".
ERIC m English, 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] ERICH m GermanGerman form of
ERIC. The German novelist Erich Maria Remarque (1898-1970) was the author of 'All Quiet on the Western Front'.
ERIK m Swedish, 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.
ERIKA f Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Czech, Slovene, Croatian, English, ItalianFeminine form of
ERIK. It also coincides with the word for "heather" in some languages.
ERIN f English, IrishAnglicized form of
EIREANN. It has been used as a given name since the middle of the 20th century.
ERIS f Greek MythologyMeans "strife" in Greek. In Greek mythology Eris was the goddess of discord. She was the sister and companion of
Ares.
ÉRIU f Irish 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.
ERLAND m Swedish, DanishFrom the Old Norse byname
Erlendr, which was derived from
ørlendr meaning "foreigner".
ERLING m Swedish, Norwegian, DanishMeans "descendant of the jarl", a derivative of the Old Norse word
jarl meaning "chieftain, nobleman, earl".
ERMA f EnglishVariant of
IRMA. It began to be used in the English-speaking world in the 19th century, along with
Irma.
ERMENRICH m Ancient GermanicFrom the Germanic elements
ermen "whole, universal" and
ric "power". Ermenrich (also often called Ermanaric) was a 4th-century Gothic king.
ERMETE m ItalianDerived from
Hermetis, the Latin genitive form of
HERMES, the name of the Greek messenger god.
ERNEST m English, 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).
EROS m Greek 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.
ERROL m EnglishFrom a surname that was originally derived from a Scottish place name. It was popularized as a given name by the Australian actor Errol Flynn (1909-1959).
ERSKINE m Scottish, Irish, English (Rare)From a surname that 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).
ERTUĞRUL m TurkishFrom Turkish
er meaning "brave man" and
tuğrul, referring to a mythical bird of prey.
ERWIN m German, 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 Schrödinger (1887-1961), an Austrian physicist who made contributions to quantum theory.
ERZSÉBET f HungarianHungarian 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.
ESAU m Biblical, 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, also called
Edom, was the ancestor of the Edomites.
ESER f & m TurkishMeans "product, achievement" in Turkish.
ESMÉ m & f English (British)Means "esteemed" or "loved" in Old French. It was first recorded in Scotland, being borne by the first Duke of Lennox in the 16th century. It is now more common as a feminine name.
ESMERALDA f Spanish, 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.
ESMOND m English (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.
ESPERANZA f SpanishSpanish form of the Late Latin name
Sperantia, which was derived from
sperare "to hope".
ESSENCE f English (Modern)From the English word
essence, which means either "odour, scent" or else "fundamental quality". Ultimately it derives from Latin
esse "to be".
ESTEE f JewishDiminutive 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.
ESTELLA f EnglishLatinate form of
ESTELLE. This was the name of the heroine, Estella Havisham, in Charles Dickens' novel 'Great Expectations' (1860).
ESTELLE f English, FrenchFrom an Old French name that 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).
ESTER f Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, HebrewForm of
ESTHER used in several languages.
ESTHER f English, 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] ÉTAÍN f Irish, Irish MythologyPossibly derived from Old Irish
ét "jealousy". In Irish mythology she was a sun and horse goddess who was the lover of Midir.
ETELKA f HungarianFeminine form of
ETELE created by the Hungarian writer András Dugonics for the main character in his novel 'Etelka' (1788).
ETERI f GeorgianMeans "ether, air" in Georgian. This name features in the Georgian opera 'Abesalom and Eteri' (1918).
ETHAN m English, 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] ETHEL f EnglishShort 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).