Boy names that start with E
E belongs to the prophets and to the Anglo-Saxon kings: Elijah sits at #7 in the United States, and Ezekiel has followed it into the top 100 without shedding a syllable. Here are 37 E names worth a shortlist, each linked to a full entry with meaning, origin, and pairings.
Most popular E names right now
Every rank below is a current U.S. Social Security position.
- #7Elijahih-LY-juhHebrew
My God is Yahweh. The prophet of Mount Carmel, and a fixture of the American top ten.
- #13Eliasuh-LY-usHebrew via Greek
The Greek form of Elijah, carried into English through the New Testament and now a top-15 name of its own.
- #20EzraEZ-ruhHebrew
Help — traditionally read as 'God has helped'. The scribe who led the return from Babylon; the poet Ezra Pound lends it a literary edge.
- #24EthanEE-thunHebrew
Firm, enduring, steadfast. An Old Testament byword for wisdom that has held a place near the top 25 since the early 2000s.
- #61Ezekielih-ZEE-kee-ulHebrew
God strengthens. The prophet of the valley of dry bones; shortens neatly to Zeke.
- #72EnzoEN-zohItalian
Disputed — either 'home ruler' by way of Heinz, or simply the tail of Lorenzo and Vincenzo. Enzo Ferrari built the cars.
- #77EverettEV-uh-ritEnglish
Brave as a wild boar. A Germanic byname that reached English as a surname and came back as a first name.
- #94Emilianoeh-mee-lee-AH-noSpanish
Of the Aemilius family; the Roman clan name is traditionally linked to aemulus, rival. Emiliano Zapata carries it in Mexico.
- #97EithanEE-thunHebrew
Firm and enduring — a spelling of Ethan that has become a top-100 name in its own right.
Classic E names
Four of these were worn by English kings before the Norman Conquest; none of them are in the current U.S. top 100.
- EdwardED-wardOld English
Wealthy guardian. Eight English kings deep, and still the most wearable of the Ed- names.
- EdmundED-mundOld English
Fortunate protector. Borne by the ninth-century East Anglian king killed by Danish raiders and later made a saint.
- EdgarED-garOld English
Wealthy spear. A tenth-century king of England, and Edgar Allan Poe.
- EdwinED-winOld English
Rich friend. A Northumbrian king's name that the Victorians took up and made gentle.
- ErnestUR-nistGermanic
Seriousness; vigour in earnest. Oscar Wilde made the pun, Ernest Hemingway made it stick.
- EliEE-lyeHebrew
Ascent or height, and also a short form of Elijah. The priest who raised the boy Samuel.
- ElliotEL-ee-utEnglish
From Elias by way of a medieval diminutive — 'my God is Yahweh' with the corners worn smooth.
- EllisEL-issWelsh & English
Another descendant of Elias; in Wales it also stands in for Elisedd, 'kindly'.
- Emmanuelih-MAN-yoo-elHebrew
God is with us. The Isaiah prophecy, read aloud every Advent for centuries.
- EvanEV-unWelsh
God is gracious — the Welsh answer to John, arrived at through Ifan.
Unique E names
Rare in the United States, and none of them invented: each is a working name somewhere.
- EmrysEM-rissWelsh
Immortal; the Welsh form of Ambrosius. In Welsh tradition it is Merlin's other name, Myrddin Emrys.
- EmlynEM-linWelsh
A place before it was a person — the district of Newcastle Emlyn in Carmarthenshire. Its literal sense is unrecorded.
- Evanderih-VAN-derGreek
Good man. The Arcadian of Roman legend who settled the Palatine hill; in Scotland it stands in for Gaelic Iomhar.
- Ekaitzeh-KYTSBasque
Storm. One of the weather words Basque families took up as given names in the twentieth century.
- Enekoeh-NEH-kohBasque
My little one. A ninth-century Basque name; Saint Ignatius of Loyola was christened Íñigo, its Castilian form.
- EeroAY-rohFinnish
Eternal ruler — Erik, remade in Finnish. The architect Eero Saarinen drew the Gateway Arch.
- EgilAY-gilNorse
Uncertain, possibly tied to a word for the edge of a blade. The warrior-poet at the centre of Egil's Saga.
- EspenES-penNorwegian
God-bear. Espen Askeladd is the ash-lad hero of Norwegian folk tales, the youngest son who wins.
- Emekaeh-MEH-kahIgbo
Has done a great thing — the short form of Chukwuemeka, with the doer understood to be God.
- EnochEE-nokHebrew
Dedicated; initiated. Genesis says he walked with God and was taken without dying.
E names from around the world
Edward and Henry travel unusually well; so does the Greek Stephen. These are the forms families use outside the English-speaking world.
- Eduardoeh-DWAR-dohSpanish & Portuguese
Guardian of wealth. The Iberian Edward, at home from Madrid to São Paulo.
- Edoardoeh-doh-AR-dohItalian
Keeper of good fortune — Edward with four Italian syllables and a softer landing.
- Enricoen-REE-kohItalian
Ruler of the home. The tenor Enrico Caruso and the physicist Enrico Fermi share it.
- Estebanes-TEH-bahnSpanish
Crown or wreath — the garland handed to a victor. Spain's Stephen.
- ErikEH-rikScandinavian
Eternal ruler. Erik the Red sailed west to Greenland; the name has crowned Swedish and Danish kings since.
- EinoAY-nohFinnish
Uncertain — most likely a Finnish reshaping of Henrik or Einar. A favourite of early twentieth-century Finland.
- Emreem-REHTurkish
Companion, friend, bard. Yunus Emre, the thirteenth-century poet, is why Turkish families reach for it.
- EunwooUHN-wooKorean
Set by the hanja: 恩 'grace' joined most often to 宇 'the vault of space' or 佑 'help from above'.