Ernest - Name Meaning and Origin

The boy's name Ernest \e-rne-st, er-nest\ is pronounced ERN-ist. It is of Old English origin, and its meaning is "serious; determined; sincere". 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 popular male first name and a very popular surname (source: 1990 U.S. Census). Displayed below is the baby name popularity trend for the boy's name Ernest. Click here to compare Ernest with related baby names.