Name of the Week: Ernest

 

Origin:

Ernest is the English form of the German given name Ernst, derived from the Old Germanic Ernust ""seriousness, firmness, vigour" cognate with the English word earnest.  As a surname, however, Ernest is a derivative of Ernis (Latin Ernisiu/Arnisius) which was brought over by the Normans in the Old French form Ernais, Erneis, Arneis, Hernais, Hernays. It was used up to the end of the Middle Ages, but died out after, remaining only as a surname. Ernais itself came from the Germanic Arn(e)gis. The first element represents the Old High German arn "eagle." The second -- gis -- is either derived from the Proto-Germanic *gīsila "pledge, hostage," or *gaisa "spear."

Usage:

Ernust (later Ernst) has been used in Germany since at least the 10th century. Ernest the Brave (1027–1075), was the Margrave of Austria and Saint Ernest (d. 1148) was the abbot of the Benedictine Zwiefalten Abbey,Germany who participated in the Second Crusade.  The name was little used in Britain, though there are a few examples. Arnost of Bec (d. 1076) was a Bishop of Rochester. He had been a monk at Bec Abbey in Normandy, but was probably Germanic by birth.  Ernest can be found in small numbers in the 16th and 17th century in Britain. This most likely represents adoption of the surname Ernest, or -- in the case of Earnest -- use of the name as a virtue name alongside Truth, Thankful and others.  The German Ernst was well used in (what is now) Germany, Austria and Prussia through the Middle Ages into the early modern period, and thanks to its prolific use by German royalty, it made its way over to Britain with the Hanovarians. Ernest Augustus (Ernst August), Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1629-1698) was father of George I. His younger son, also Ernst August, took on role of leader of Brunswick-Lüneburg when George moved to London a king and was later instated as Duke of York, Albany and Earl of Ulster when he moved to England.  The name really kicked off when George III gave the name to his fifth son in 1771. Prince Ernest Augustus later became king of Hanover when Salic law prevented his niece, Queen Victoria, from ascending the Hanoverian throne.   In England and Wales, Ernest grew rapidly in popularity over the course of the 19th century, reaching #30 by 1860, #19 in 1870, #13 in 1880, #12 in 1890 and #14 in 1900.  click to enlarge It remained popular at the beginning of the 20th century, but was out of the top 100 after the 1940s: 1904: #10 1914: #13 1924: #23 1934: #47 1944: #72 It was less popular in Scotland initially, reaching #42 by 1900. However, it lasted longer in the top 100, still ranking #79 in 1950.  Since 1996 when it ranked #1337 (9 births), Ernest has been gradually rising in England and Wales. It peaked in 2012 at #382 (109 births). In 2014, Ernest ranked #397 (102 births) in England and Wales; #855 (2 births) in Scotland but did not rank at all in Northern Ireland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Ernest the Brave (1027–1075), Margrave of Austria. * Saint Ernest (d. 1148), abbot of the Benedictine Zwiefalten Abbey,Germany who participated in the Second Crusade.  * Ernest of Bavaria-Munich (1373-1438), Duke of Bavaria. * Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553-1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor. * Ernest Augustus (1629-1698), Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg. * Ernest Augustus, Duke of York and Albany (1674–1728), younger brother of George I. * Ernest Augustus I of Hanover (1771–1851), King of Hanover, son of King George III of England. * Prince Ernest Augustus, 3rd Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale (1845–1923). * Ernest Troubridge (1862–1926), British naval officer. * Ernest Hornung (1866-1921), English author and poet. * Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874–1922), Anglo-Irish explorer. * Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961), American writer. * Ernest Borgnine (1917–2012), American actor. * Ernest Walton (1903-1995), Irish physicist and Nobel laureate. * Ernest Wiseman aka Ernie Wise (1925–1999), British comedian. Literature and Other Media: * Ernest Worthing, main character in The Importance of Being Earnest, a play by Oscar Wilde. * Ernest Perriclof, one of the main characters in Alexandra Adornetto's The Strangest Adventures series.

Variants:

Earnest (UK), Ernst (German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish), Ernesto (Italian, Spanish, Portuguese), Erno (Finnish)

Pronunciation:

ER-nəst [key]

Possible Diminutives:

Ernie, Ern, Enzo, Ned

Sibling Names:

Agnes     Sylvia     Elspeth     Nora     Hester     Marnie       Edwin     Chester     Wilbur     Ralph     Emmett     Reginald

Name Lists:

Upright Elegance  Funky-Clunky   Gorgeously Georgian  Victorian Darlings  Dickensian Names  Gilbert and Sullivan Names

 

If you like Ernest you may also like:    Everett, Oscar, Eugene, Clifford, Winston, Emrys, Byron, Ewart, Edgar, Eustace

 

Thanks to Winter for requesting this post.