EAMONN (m) Irish form of Edmund.
EARL (m) Either "intelligence" (Teutonic) or "earl" from Old English eorl "nobleman"
EARLEEN (f) Feminine form of Earl.
EARNEST (m) Form of Ernest influenced by the spelling of the English word.
EBENEZER (m) "stone of help" (Hebrew). This was the name of a monument erected by Samuel in the Old Testament. Ebenezer Scrooge was a miserly character in Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'.
EBERHARD (m) "boar hardy" from Teutonic eber "wild boar" and hard "hardy".
EBERT (m) "noble bright" or "edge bright" (Old English)
EBONY (f) "ebony" (English) from the name of the black wood which comes from the ebony tree. This name is often used by black parents.
ECHO (f) "echo" (Greek) from the name of the repeating reflected sound, which derives from Greek eche "sound". In Greek mythology Echo was a nymph given a speech impediment by Hera, so that she could only repeat what others said. She fell in love with Narcissus, but her love was not returned, and she pined away until nothing remained of her except her voice.
ECKBERT (m) "edge bright" (Teutonic)
ECKHARD (m) "edge brave" (Teutonic)
ED (m) Short form of Edward, Edmund, and other names beginning with ed.
EDANA (f) Feminine form of Aidan
EDDIE (m) Pet form of Edward, Edmund and other names beginning with ed. Visit a web page devoted to the name Eddie.
EDEN (f) "place of pleasure" (Hebrew). In the Old Testament the Garden of Eden was the place where the first people, Adam and Eve, lived before they were expelled.
EDGAR (m) "rich spear" or "blessed spear" from Old English ead "rich, blessed" combined with gar "spear". This was the name of an early king of England. Other famous bearers include author and poet Edgar Allan Poe, and the French impressionist painter Edgar Degas.
EDITH (f) "rich war" or "blessed war" from Old English ead "rich, blessed" combined with gyth "war".
EDMOND (m) French or Dutch form of Edmund. Edmond Halley was a 17th-century astronomer. Halley's comet is named for him.
EDMONDA (f) Feminine form of Edmund
EDMUND (m) "rich protector" or "blessed protector" from Old English ead "rich, blessed" and mund "protector". Saint Edmund was a 9th-century king of East Anglia who, according to tradition, was shot to death with arrows after refusing to divide his Christian kingdom with an invading pagan Danish leader.
EDNA (f) "pleasure" (Hebrew)
EDOARDO (m) Italian form of Edward
EDRIC (m) "rich ruler" or "blessed ruler" from Old English ead "rich, blessed" and ric "ruler".
EDUARDO (m) Spanish or Portuguese form of Edward
EDWARD (m) "rich guard" or "blessed guard" from Old English ead "rich, blessed" and weard "guard". Saint Edward the Confessor was the king of England shortly before the Norman Conquest. Because of his popularity this name remained in use after the conquest (most other Old English names were replaced by Norman ones), and was even the name of eight subsequent kings of England. Edward is also one of the few Old English names to be used throughout Europe.
EDWIGE (f) French form of Hedwig
EDWIN (m) "rich friend" or "blessed friend" from Old English ead "rich, blessed" combined with wine "friend". The astronaut Edwin Aldin, also known as Buzz, was the second man to walk on the moon.
EDWINA (f) Feminine form of Edwin
EFRAIM (m) Spanish form of Ephraim
EGBERT (m) Form of Eckbert.
EGIL (m) "edge or point [of a sword]" (Old Norse). This was the name of an Icelandic hero.
EGON (m) "edge or point [of a sword]" (Teutonic)
EIBHEAR (m) Meaning unknown (Gaelic). According to legend, this was the son of the first of the Gaels to come to Ireland.
EILEEN (f) Form of Helen
EIREANN (f) From Eirinn, the dative case of Gaelic Eire, meaning "Ireland". This name is not commonly used in Ireland itself.
EKKEHARDT (m) Form of Eckhard.
ELAINE (f) French form of Helen.
ELBA (f) From the name of the island off the west coast of Italy where Napoleon was exiled.
ELBERT (m) Form of Albert.
ELDRED (m) Possibly "noble counsel" (Old English)
ELEA (f) Short form of Eleanor. This was a town in ancient Italy, though the name derives from a different source. It was the home of the philosopher Parmenides, as well as his student Zeno of Elea, who was famous for his paradoxes.
ELEANOR (f) The meaning of this name is not known for certain. It is most likely a Teutonic name of unknown meaning, but it might mean "pity" (Greek), or it might be a form of Helen. Eleanor of Aquitaine (12th century) was the wife of both Louis VII, the king of France, and Henry II, the king of England.
ELENA (f) Italian and Spanish form of Helen.
ELEONOR (f) Form of Eleanor
ELFA (f) Form of Elva.
ELFREDA (f) Either "elf strength" or "noble power" (Old English)
ELI (m) "offering" or "high" (Hebrew). In the Old Testament he was the high priest of Israel and the teacher of Samuel.
ELIANE (f) "sun" from the Roman family name Aelianus, which derived from the Greek word helios. This was the name of an early saint and martyr.
ELIAS (m) The Greek and Spanish form of Elijah.
ELIJAH (m) "God is the Lord" from the Hebrew name Eliyahu. Elijah was a Hebrew prophet of the 9th century BC, during the reign of King Ahab and his queen, Jezebel. The two Books of Kings in the Old Testament tell of his exploits, which culminate with him being carried to heaven in a chariot of fire.
ELINOR (f) Form of Eleanor.
ELIOT (f) Variant of Elliot. T. S. Eliot was an American novelist and poet, the writer of 'The Waste Land'.
ELISABETH (f) Variant of Elizabeth, reflecting the spelling used in the Authorized Version of the New Testament.
ELISE (f) Short form of Elizabeth
ELISHA (m) "God is helpful" (Hebrew). Elisha was a prophet in the Old Testament, the successor of Elijah.
ELISSA (f) Meaning unknown (possibly Phoenician). Another name of Dido, the legendary queen of Carthage. This name is also used as a Russian short form of Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH (f) "oath of God" (Hebrew). In the Old Testament this was the name of the wife of Aaron. In the New Testament this was the mother of John the Baptist. The 12th-century Saint Elizabeth of Hungary was the daughter of King Andrew II. She became a Franciscan nun and lived in poverty. This was also the name of two queens of England and an empress of Russia. A famous modern bearer is actress Elizabeth Taylor.
ELKE (f) Pet form of Adalheid
ELLA (f) Short form of Ellen
ELLE (f) Short form of Ellen
ELLEN (f) English form of Helen
ELLIOT (m) From a medieval Norman surname that derived from the first name Elias.
ELMER (m) "noble famous" (Old English)
ELMO (m) "helmet" or "protection" (Teutonic). Saint Elmo, also known as Saint Erasmus, is the patron of sailors. Saint Elmo's fire is said to be a sign of his protection.
ELOISA (f) Form of Eloise.
ELOISE (f) Meaning unknown (French), possibly from Greek helios "sun". Saint Eloise was the wife of the French theologian Peter Abelard. She became a nun after her husband was castrated by her uncle.
ELRIC (m) "elf ruler" (Teutonic)
ELROND (m) "star dome" (Sindarin). In the 'The Lord of the Rings' by J. R. R. Tolkien, Elrond was the elven ruler of Rivendell.
ELSIE (f) Form of Alice.
ELSPET (f) Scottish form of Elizabeth.
ELTON (m) "Ella's town" (Old English), from a surname which was from a place name. A famous bearer of this name is musician Elton John.
ELVA (f) Either "elfin" (Teutonic) or "ripples in a stream" (Icelandic) or meaning unknown (Irish).
ELVIN (m) Variant of Elwim
ELVIRA (f) "noble true" (Gothic)
ELVIS (m) Meaning unknown. Possibly a form of Elwim. This name was made popular by the singer Elvis Presley.
ELWIN (m) Either "noble friend" or "elf friend" (Teutonic)
ELYSE (f) Short form of Elizabeth?
ELZBIETA (f) Polish form of Elizabeth
EMELINE (f) "work" (Teutonic)
EMERALD (f) From the name of the green precious stone, which is the birthstone of May. The emerald supposedly imparts love to the bearer.
EMERIC (m) "horse rule" (Teutonic)
EMERSON (m) "descendent of Emery" from an Old English surname. The surname has been borne by Ralph Waldo Emerson, a 19th-century American poet and author who wrote about transcendentalism.
EMERY (m) Either a pet form of Emeric, or "emery" (English) from the name of the hard black substance.
EMI (f) "blessed with beauty" from Japanese e "blessed" or "rich" and mi "beauty".
EMIDIO (m) Possibly "half god" (Latin)
EMIL (m) "industrious" (Latin) or "work" (Teutonic) or possibly from the Roman family name Aemilius, which means "rival".
EMILE (m) French form of Emil. Emile Zola was a 19th-century French author.
EMILIE (f) French or German form of Emily.
EMILIO (m) Italian form of Emil
EMILY (f) Feminine form of Emil. The British writer Emily Bronte, author of 'Wuthering Heights', and the American poet Emily Dickinson are two famous bearers of this name.
EMMA (f) "whole" or "universal" (Teutonic). This was the name of the mother of Edward the Confessor. This is also the name of the central character in Jane Austen's novel 'Emma'.
EMMANUEL (m) "God is with us" (Hebrew). This was the foretold name of the Messiah in the Old Testament.
EMMANUELLE (f) French feminine form of Emmanuel.
EMMET (m) Form of Emil.
EMON (f) French variant of Edmond.
EMORY (m) Variant of Emery.
EMRYS (m) Welsh form of Ambrose
ENCARNACION (f) "incarnation" (Spanish), from the name of the Spanish festival, which is celebrated on Christmas Day.
ENGEL (m) "Angle" (Teutonic), from a surname. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Britain. England is named for them.
ENID (f) "soul" or "life" from Welsh enaid
ENNIO (m) "ninth" (Latin). From the Roman family name Ennius.
ENNIS (m) Form of Angus
ENOLA (f) Meaning unknown.
ENRICA (f) Italian feminine form of Henry. ENRICO (m) I.
ENRIQUE (m) Spanish form of Henry.
EOGHAN (m) "yew born" (Celtic). A very old Gaelic name.
EOIN (m) Gaelic form of John.
EOWYN (f) "horse lover" (Old English). This name was invented by J. R. R. Tolkien who used Old English to represent the Rohirric language. In his novel 'The Lord of the Rings' Eowyn is the niece of King Theoden of Rohan. She slays the Lord of the Nazgul.
EPHRAIM (m) "fruitful" (Hebrew). In the Old Testament he was a son of Joseph and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of the Hebrews.
ERASMUS (m) "love" from Greek eran "to love". Saint Erasmus was a 3rd-century martyr who is the patron saint of sailors. Erasmus was also the name of a Dutch scolar during the Renaissance.
ERHARD (m) "honour brave" from Teutonic era "honour, respect" and hard "brave, hardy".
ERIC (m) "ever ruler" (Old Norse). Eric the Red was a 10th-century navigator and explorer who discovered Greenland. This was also the name of kings of Sweden and Norway. Visit a web page devoted to the name Eric.
ERICA (f) Either "heather" (Latin) or a feminine form of Eric
ERICH (m) German form of Eric. The German novelist Erich Maria Remarque was the author of 'All Quiet on the Western Front'.
ERIK (m) Swedish and Danish form of Eric
ERIKA (f) German and Scandinavian form of Erica
ERIN (f) Form of Eireann.
ERNEST (m) "earnest" from Teutonic eornost. The American author and adventurer Ernest Hemingway was a famous bearer of this name.
ERNST (m) German form of Ernest.
ERROL (m) From a surname which derives from a Scottish place name.
ERWIN (m) Form of Irwim. Erwin Schrodinger was an Austrian physicist who made contributions to quantum theory.
ESAU (m) "hairy" (Hebrew). In the Old Testament Esau was the elder of the twin sons of Isaac and Rebecca. He sold his birthright to his twin brother Jacob.
ESME (f) Either a short form of Esmeralda or "love" from Old French esmer "to love".
ESMERALDA (f) "emerald" (Spanish). In Victor Hugo's novel 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' Esmeralda is the gypsy girl who is loved by Quasimodo.
ESMOND (m) "grace protection" from Old English east "grace" and mund "protection".
ESPERANZA (f) "hope" from Latin sperans
ESPIRIDION (m) Spanish form of Spiridion
ESTAVAN (m) Spanish form of Stephen
ESTÉBAN (m) Spanish form of Stephen.
ESTELLE (f) From an Old French name which derived from Latin stella, meaning "star".
ESTHER (f) Perhaps either "star" (Persian) or "secret" (Hebrew), or a Hebrew form of Ishtar, a Persian goddess. The Book of Esther in the Old Testament tells of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia, who saves many Jews from persecution.
ETHALYN (f) Pet form of Ethel
ETHAN (m) "firmness" (Hebrew). This is the name of a wise man in the Old Testament.
ETHEL (f) "noble" (Teutonic)
ETHMER (m) "noble famous" (Old English)
ETIENNE (m) French form of Stephen
ETTA (f) Short form of names that end with etta.
ETTORE (m) Italian form of Hector.
EUDORA (f) "good gift" (Greek). This is a modern name which was constructed using the ancient Greek elements eu "good" and doron "gift".
EUGENE (m) "well born" from Greek eugenes. This was the name of several saints and four popes. Eugene of Savoy was an 18th-century general who served the Austrian Empire. Also, Eugene O'Neill was an American playwright.
EUGENIA (f) Feminine form of Eugene
EUNICE (f) "good victory" (Greek)
EUPHEMIA (f) "to speak well" from Greek eu "good" and phenai "to speak". Saint Euphemia was an early martyr who was burnt at the stake.
EUSTACE (m) "fruitful" from Greek eustachus. Saint Eustace was a 2nd-century martyr, a Roman general who became a Christian after seeing a vision of a cross between the antlers of a stag he was hunting. He was burned to death for refusing to worship the Roman gods. He is the patron saint of hunters.
EVA (f) Latinate form of Eve.
EVAN (m) Welsh form of John.
EVANDER (m) "good man" (Greek) or form of Ivor.. In Roman mythology Evander was an Arcadian hero of the Trojan war who founded the city of Pallantium near the spot where Rome was later built.
EVANGELINE (f) "good news" (Greek)
EVE (f) "life" from Hebrew hayya. Eve and Adam of the Old Testament were supposedly the first people. She gave the forbidden apple to Adam, causing their expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
EVELYN (f,m) Possibly "bird" (Latin). From the name Aveline, which is from Avila, which may be from Latin avis "bird".
EVERT (m) Low German form of Eberhard.
EWA (f) Polish form of Eva.
EWAN (m) Anglicized Scottish form of Eoghan
EZAR (m) Variant of Ezra.
EZEKIEL (m) "God strengthens" (Hebrew). Ezekiel was a major prophet in the Old Testament who supposedly wrote the Book of Ezekiel. He lived in Jerusalem until the Babylonian conquest and captivity of Israel, at which time he was taken to Babylon. The Book of Ezekiel describes his vivid symbolic visions which predict the restoration of the kingdom of Israel.
EZRA (m) "help" (Hebrew). Ezra was a prophet of the Old Testament and the author of the Book of Ezra. The American poet Ezra Pound was a famous bearer of this name.