and the phonetic Enya.
Ekata f.
An Indian name from the Sanskrit meaning ‘unity’.
Elaine f.
An Old French form of HELEN, which occurs in medieval literature. It came into general use through the popularity of Tennyson’s Idylls of the King (1859), which is based on Malory’s Morte d’Arthur and which includes the story of Lancelot and Elaine. There is also a Welsh name Elain, meaning ‘fawn’.
Eleanor f.
Eleanor and Elinor are French forms of HELEN which have been used in this country since the Middle Ages. Eleanora, the Italian form which gives us LEONORA, is also found, as is Elena. Eleanor is shortened to Ellie (currently very popular as a given name), ELLA, ELLEN, NELL and NORA.
Elfrida see Alfred
Eli m.
From the Hebrew meaning ‘elevated’. It was the name of the high priest in the Old Testament who looked after the prophet Samuel when he was given to the Temple as a baby. It was used as a first name in the 17th century. Eli is also a shortened form of ELIAS, Eliza (see ELIZABETH) and Elihu, which means ‘God is the Lord’.
Elias, Elijah m.
From the Hebrew meaning ‘Jehovah is God’. Both forms were very common in the Middle Ages, along with the pet forms Ellis and Eliot(t) or Elliot which became surnames, and are now used as first names. Elisha, ‘god is’, is often thought of as a variant of this name.
Eliot(t) see Elias
Elissa m.
A name by which DIDO, Queen of Carthage, was known, but in modern use it is probably a pet form of ELIZABETH. The Austrian-Italian film actress Elissa Landi (whose full name was Elizabeth Zanardi-Landi), was well known in the 1930s.
Elizabeth, Elisabeth f.
From the Hebrew Elisheba, meaning ‘oath of God’ or ‘God has sworn’. The present form developed from the Greek Elisabet through the Latin Elisabetha to Elizabeth. In Britain the ‘z’ form is usual, on the Continent the ‘s’ is used, for in the Authorised Version of the New Testament, the name is spelt Elisabeth. It was first used by members of the Eastern Church, then found its way across Europe to France, where it developed the form ISABEL(LE). This was also the usual medieval form in England. Elizabeth became common about the end of the 15th century, and its later popularity in England stemmed from the long reign of Elizabeth I. Among the many pet forms are: Bess(ie), Betsy, Betty, Beth (with Bethan in Wales, see BETHANY), Buffy, Eliza, Lizzy, Liz, Liza, Libby and the Scottish Elspeth, Elspie and Elsie, which are now used independently. The German ELSA, ELISSA (see also ALICE), Lisa, Liese or Liesel, the Italian Bettina, and the French Elise, Lisette and Babette, are also used in Britain.
Elke f.
A German pet form of the name ALICE. It is found in a slightly different form used by the singer Elkie Brooks.
Ella f.
A name used by the Normans probably derived from the Old German Alia, meaning ‘all’. It can also be a pet form of Isabella (see ISABEL), ELLEN or ELEANOR and is currently an increasingly popular choice for parents (see also LUELLA). The real name of the Australian model Elle Macpherson, who has brought this form of the name to popular attention, is Eleanor.
Ellen f.
An older English form of HELEN, now used independently, and also a short form of ELEANOR. In the past it has been especially popular in Scotland and Ireland and is now showing signs of wider popularity.
Ellie see Eleanor
Elliot(t), Ellis see Elias
Elmer m.
This is a surname which comes from both the Old English Ethelmer, ‘noble and famous’ and Ethelward, ‘noble guard’. It became a first name in the USA in honour of two brothers with the surname Elmer who were prominent in the American War of Independence. Aylmer is another form of the name. While Elma is actually a short form of Wilhelmina, a German feminine of WILLIAM, it can also be used as a female form of Elmer.
Eloise f.
Currently, the more popular version of the name known to history as Heloise. Abelard and Heloise were two famous and tragic 12th-century lovers, and Heloise was renowned for her beauty, intellect and faithfulness in love. The name can be spelt Heloïse or Eloïse and sometimes occurs as Eloisa. Experts do not agree on its origins: some say it is an Old German name perhaps meaning ‘helmet power’; others say it comes from the same source as LEWIS by way of an old southern French name Aloys or Aloyse (see ALOYSIUS).
Elsa, Elsie f.
One source of Elsa is the Old German for ‘noble one’, but both names are also used as abbreviations of ELIZABETH, and Elsie is sometimes a short form of ALISON. Elsie was originally Scottish and is the more common form in Britain. Elsa is the heroine in Wagner’s opera Lohengrin, which made the name popular in the 19th century.
Elspeth, Elspie see Elizabeth
Elton m.
A surname, probably meaning ‘Ella’s settlement’, used as a first name. The singer, Elton John, effectively began its first-name use.
Eluned see Lynette
Elvira f.
A Spanish name, probably introduced by the conquering Visigoths in the Dark Ages. Its meaning is not clear. It has been used occasionally since the beginning of the 19th century. It is perhaps best known as the name of the ghost in Noël Coward’s play, Blithe Spirit and from the 1967 film Elvira Madigan.
Elvis m.
A name that was almost unknown until given world fame by Elvis Presley. It is probably a version of the name of the Irish saint Alby or Ailbhe (a name which in Irish can be used for either sex, and which is pronounced ‘alva’) which is found in Wales in the form St Elvis. Although Presley was not the first member of his family to bear the name, modern uses come from him.
Emanuel m.
From the Hebrew meaning ‘God with us’. It was the name given to the promised Messiah by the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament. It was introduced as a first name by the Greeks in the form Manuel. This is also the Spanish form. Manny is used as a pet form, and there is a feminine, Em(m)anuelle.
Emer f.
Emer (pronounced with a long ‘ee’ at the beginning) is currently one of the more popular Celtic names in Ireland. In legend it was the name of the woman loved by Cuchulainn, the great hero of the Ulster cycle of legends. She is described as having the following six desirable gifts: those of beauty, voice, sweet speech, skill with the needle, wisdom and chastity. It is occasionally found as Emir.
Emerald see Esmeralda
Emily f.
From the Latin Aemilius, the name of a Roman family. Boccaccio, the 14th-century Italian writer, used Emilia, popularizing this form in the Middle Ages, and Chaucer borrowed it in the form Emelye. The name has been used since then. In the 19th century it was sometimes shortened to EMMA. Nowadays, these two names are among the most
