Earl - name meaning, origin

The boy's name Earl \e(a)-

is pronounced erl. It is of Old English origin, and its meaning is "nobleman, warrior, prince". Name based on the English title, originally a nickname for Baron, Duke or King. The tile was used as an equivalent of the French "comte" meaning "count", from Old English "eorl". Also used as a surname for people who worked for the aristocratic household of an earl. Author Erle Stanley Gardner; actor Errol Flynn; basketball celebrity Earl ("the Pearl") Monroe; musician Earl Scruggs; Chief Justice of the American Supreme Court Earl Warren.

Earl has 10 variant forms: Earle, Earlie, Early, Erl, Erle, Errol, Erroll, Erryl, Irl and Rollo.

For more information, see also related names Barnett, Jarl and Lord.

Baby names that sound like Earl are Erly, Earley, Jaryl and Jarel.

Earl is a very common first name for men (#98 out of 1220) and also a very common last name for both men and women (#1950 out of 88799). (1990 U.S. Census)

Displayed below is the baby name popularity trend for the boy name Earl. Compare Earl with its variant forms and related boy names.

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