Ernest
Ernest comes from the Germanic "ernust," meaning serious, earnest, or determined. The name was brought to England by the Normans and became popular in the 19th century. Ernest (the Oscar Wilde play "The Importance of Being Earnest," 1895) made the name a literary touchstone — the title character is a man who has invented a fictional brother named Earnest to give himself an excuse to visit London. Ernest was a top-50 American name from 1880 to 1935, peaking at #21 in 1894. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), the American author of "The Sun Also Rises" (1926) and "The Old Man and the Sea" (1952), is the most famous American bearer — he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922), the Irish Antarctic explorer, gave the name a dimension of adventure. I find Ernest has a serious, slightly Victorian quality — the "Er" opening is firm, and the "nest" ending gives it weight. The nickname Ernie (as in Ernie Banks, the baseball player) lightens it considerably. Ernest is a male name of Germanic origin that means "Serious, earnest". Serious, Victorian, and quietly accomplished. The name sounds historic. Ernests tend to be principled. US peaked #21 in 1894. Outside top 500 since 2010. Well-known people named Ernest include Ernest Hemingway (author), Ernest Shackleton (explorer), Ernest (Wilde character), Ernest (Germanic name). Common variations and related forms of Ernest include Ernesto (Italian/Spanish), Ernst (German), Earnest (variant), Ernie (nickname).