The baby name Ernest is a mix of literary mainstay and friendly children’s character. But it’s also a virtuous classic, possibly one due for a comeback right about now.
Thanks to Kenna for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME ERNEST MEAN?
Often a name sounds like a word, but the meanings and origins are separate.
Not so with the baby name Ernest.
They both come from the Old High German word arnust – seriousness. Similar words exist in Old Norse, and we borrowed them in Old English. Ernst translates as serious in German even now.
We sometimes give the meaning of the name as “resolute” or another virtue word, but it’s all a take on the same basic theme.
The German House of Hanover embraced the name Ernest. In 1714, a Hanoverian prince, the great-grandson of King James I, inherited the throne of England. He reigned as King George I.
Just over a century later, his descendant would reign as Queen Victoria.
Despite the royal family’s continued use of the name, it stayed under the radar – a middle name, often for a younger son. Victoria’s fourth child, and second son, was Prince Alfred Ernest Albert. He eventually became the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, inheriting the title from his uncle.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
The baby name Ernest flourished in the nineteenth century, even before it became a literary standard.
Oscar Wilde’s 1895 comedy The Importance of Being Earnest played on the name.
In the opening scene, we learn that John “Jack” Worthing leads a double life, splitting his time between a country estate and the social whirl of London. At home, he’s Jack. But in the city, he’s Ernest – Jack’s younger brother. His friend, Algernon says that he understands completely.
Jack/Ernest has come to London to propose to the fair Gwendolen.
The deception proceeds with multiple layers and much hilarity. At one point, both Jack and Algernon are pretending to be named Ernest, in pursuit of two separate women.
It’s witty and clever and ends happily, too, and we’ve been reading and watching it for well over a century.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
Born the same year Wilde’s play was first published, in 1899, American writer Ernest Hemingway makes this name even more literary.
A journalist turned novelist, Hemingway lived an adventurous, globe-trotting life. He drove ambulances on the Italian front in 1918; covered the Spanish Civil War and landing at Normandy as a journalist; and spent time in Cuba and Africa, as well as Europe.
The Sun Also Rises, his first novel, debuted in 1926.
He’d win the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature for 1952’s The Old Man and the Sea, and many of his works are considered enduring classics.
Several of them, like A Farewell to Arms, would also be adapted as movies.
Hemingway is more than a celebrated author and Nobel laureate. He’s a bit of a cultural phenomenon in places like Key West, Florida, where his home is still open for tours. Travel in places he spent time, like much of Spain, and plaques reading “Ernest Hemingway slept here” are common.
MORE FAMOUS ERNESTS
If the fictional character didn’t cement the name’s place in our collective imagination, the larger-than-life author certainly did.
More familiar figures include:
- Ernie, of Bert and Ernie fame on Sesame Place. Fun fact: two minor characters in It’s A Wonderful Life, the classic 1946 Christmas movie, were also named Bert and Ernie, but it’s generally considered a coincidence.
- Oscar-winning actorErnest Borgnine, whose career spanned six decades and included an Emmy nomination for a guest spot on E.R. at the age of 92.
- Singer Tennessee Ernie Ford.
- In The Swiss Family Robinson a shipwrecked family builds a new life on a dessert island, including sons Fritz, Ernest, Jack, and Francis.
- Revolutionary leader Che Guevara was born Ernesto.
- Characters on everything from The Benny Hill Show to The Andy Griffith Show.
- There’s a character called Ernest in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.
- In the Belgian children’s books turned animated film Ernest & Celestine, Ernest is a bear and Celestine a mouse.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME ERNEST?
In the 1880s, when US Social Security Administration data begins, Ernest is at peak popularity, regularly ranking in the 20s.
The baby name Ernest remained in the US Top 100 through 1956. That means lots of the pop culture references were just plain normal. Lots of men did answer to Ernest in midcentury America.
By the 1950s, the name fell out of the Top 100 and continued to decline in use.
It left the US Top 1000 entirely after the year 2018.
As of 2023, 209 boys received the name, putting it just outside of the current Top 1000.
Feminine forms Ernestine and Erna, as well as nickname Ernie are also out of favor in the US.
But in the UK? Ernie is climbing steadily in the England and Wales data. With names like Freddie, Archie, Alfie, Albie, Harry, and Charlie near the top of their popularity charts, cozy nickname Ernie could fit right in. Names like Sully, Ozzie, Benny, Huey, Vinny, Lockie, and Bertie were all up, too.
There’s even an O-ending version of Ernest: Erno, heard in Finnish. It could fit with Arlo and Theo, but remains obscure, at least for now.
READY FOR REVIVAL
If you’re looking for old school baby name inspiration, Ernest might just be the next Arthur. With a great meaning, and a long history blending ties to the British throne with an American literary legend, Ernest is a name with a past.
Factor in a great meaning, a sweet nickname that fits with current favorites, and there’s a sincerity and antique style to Ernest. It might be the perfect name for a family looking for something traditional but uncommon.
Yay thank you for featuring Ernest! It’s still high on the list for baby #4!
Can we do Libelula next?
Libelula is a Spanish girl name meaning Dragonfly. It’s got a multitude of nn’s too! A winner for sure!