Oregon Trail era names - boys

Ebenezer

Hebrew

"stone of help"

Ebenezer is the name of a biblical place --the stone set up by Samuel to mark his victory over the Philistines--rather than a person. It was adopted by the British Puritans as a first name and then…

Edmund

English

"fortunate protector"

The sophisticated Edmund and its nearly-identical French twin Edmond are coming out of mothballs now that Edward, inspired by Twilight, is once again a hot name. In fact, it's already a fairly…

Eduard

Eduard is a continental European variant of Edward, a venerable Germanic name combining elements meaning 'wealth' and 'guardian' or 'protector.' This spelling is particularly common in German, Czech,…

Elgin

Elgin is a masculine name with Scottish origins, derived from a place name in Moray, Scotland. The etymology likely stems from Gaelic, possibly meaning 'noble' or 'high-spirited.' Historically, Elgin…

Elihu

Hebrew

"Jehovah is God"

Rarely used in the last two centuries, but might be worth dusting off and holding up to the light.

Elton

English

"from the old town"

Elton is an unassuming, lesser-used place name belonging to several towns in the British Isles, the US and Canada, and even a lake in Russia. The singer Elton John gives it a bit of extra pizzazz.

Elvin

English

"noble friend"

Elvin had his peak in the 1920s — which was when jazz musician Elvin Jones was born — but parents are still using it for over 100 boys a year. That's less than Kelvin, but more than Delvin.

Elvis

Meaning unknown

When the King was alive, and for years afterwards, few people (except Declan McManus who became Elvis Costello) dared use his singular name, but now it's very much up for grabs. The name Elvis is…

Ernest

English from German

"serious, resolute"

Ernest is one of those sober, so-far-out-they're-beginning-to-be-reconsidered Great Uncle names. Ernest recently received a big style boost when Britain's Princess Eugenie chose it for her second…

Etienne

French variation of Stephen

"garland, crown"

It's the French Steve yet feels oh so much more debonair. Well-used and still a popular classic in French-speaking lands, but one of the many French names for boys unfamiliar to most English…

Ewan

Scottish form of Gaelic Eoghan

"born of the yew tree"

This appealing name has a good chance of catching on due to the popularity of Ewan McGregor, and the trend towards Gaelic names in general. Pronunciation is YOO-un. Ewan has a complex family tree,…

Ewen

Variation Eoghann, Scottish, Irish

"born of the yew tree"

More popularly anglicized as Ewan and Euan, this is a spelling variation of the Scottish and Irish name Eoghann, likely meaning "born of the yew tree", though some sources connect it to the Latin…