Ernest - name meaning, origin

The boy's name Ernest \e-rne-

is pronounced ERN-ist. It is of Old German origin, and its meaning is "serious; battle to the death". Variant of Ernst (German). Literary: Oscar Wilde's comedy "The Importance of Being Earnest" makes the name Earnest a key feature of the plot. Ernesto is a Spanish form. Author Ernest Hemingway; actor Ernest Borgnine; entertainer Ernie Kovacs.

Ernest has 6 variant forms: Earnest, Ernesto, Ernestus, Ernie, Erno and Ernst.

Baby names that sound like Ernest are Ireneus, Aaronas and Irenaeus.

Ernest is a very common first name for men (#86 out of 1220) and also a very common last name for both men and women (#5500 out of 88799). (1990 U.S. Census)

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

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