- 578
- people in the U.S. have this name Get contact details for people named Ernest White
Meaning & Origins
Of Germanic origin, derived from the Old High German vocabulary word eornost ‘serious business, battle to the death’. The name was introduced into England in the 18th century by followers of the Elector of Hanover, who became George I of England. A variant spelling, Earnest, has arisen by association with the modern English adjective earnest.
| 308th in the U.S. for 2011 |
English, Scottish, and Irish: from Middle English whit ‘white’, hence a nickname for someone with white hair or an unnaturally pale complexion. In some cases it represents a Middle English personal name, from an Old English byname, Hwīt(a), of this origin. As a Scottish and Irish surname it has been widely used as a translation of the many Gaelic names based on bán ‘white’ (see Bain 1) or fionn ‘fair’ (see Finn 1). There has also been some confusion with Wight.
| 19th in the U.S. for 2011 |
Nicknames & variations
Ernesto, Ernesta, Erneste, Ernestine, Ernesti, Ernestia, Ernesst, Ernestina, Ernestt, Ernestw
Whitaker, Whitehead, Whitney, Whitfield, Whitley, Whitman, Whittaker, Whittington, Whitlock, Whiting
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U.S. Distribution Map
