Boy · Germanic · Christian · International
Ernest
ErnestSay it UR-nist
- Meaning
- Earnestness, zeal; seriousness Bosworth-Toller, entry 9554 (eornost)
- Say it
- UR-nist
- Other spellings
- Earnest, Ernst
Ernest
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Ernest meaning
Ernest is a Christian and international boy's name of Germanic origin.
Earnestness, zeal; seriousness
Ernest comes from the Old High German name Ernust, from a word meaning seriousness or determination; the Old English form eornost is defined by Bosworth-Toller as 'earnest, earnestness, zeal', and it gives us the English word earnest. The German form of the name is Ernst, and Oscar Wilde famously punned on the English form in The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). In India it is used by Christian families in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Mangalore.
Source: Bosworth-Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (1898), entry 9554 (eornost) · entry eornost · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Bosworth-Toller, eornost · Dictionary of Medieval Names, Ernest
Popularity abroad
- #252 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Ernest · Earnest · Ernst