E - Girls' Names

Esme

French

"beloved"

Esmé comes from the past participle of the Old French verb esmer , meaing "to esteem" or "to love." It can also be considered a derivative of the Spanish name Esmeralda, which means "emerald". Esmé…

Elowen

Cornish

"elm"

A beautiful modern Cornish nature name that is rapidly picking up steam in the States: even spawning variant spellings like Elowyn and Elowynn. In its native region, it wasn't widely used as a name…

Elisabeth

German, Dutch, Danish, English, variation of Elizabeth, Hebrew

"pledged to God"

This spelling of the classic name is found in France, Germany, Greece, and other cultures, and is worn by such notables as Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Elisabeth Shue, Elisabeth Moss, and Elisabeth…

Etta

English and Scottish, short form of any name ending with -etta: Henrietta, Loretta etc.

Thanks to the surprise hit revival of Etta James' song At Last and because of recent interest in vintage style nicknames, Etta has established herself as a possible successor to Emma and Ella. While…

Early

Diminutive of Earl, English, or word name

"nobleman, warrior; early"

A word that's been used, very infrequently, as a name for hundreds of years. Interesting sound and meaning.

Ekaterina

Russian; Macedonian; Bulgarian, variation of Catherine

"pure"

This international variation was publicized by Olympic skater Ekaterina Gordeeva.

Elba

Place-name

The site of Napoleon's exile became the great-great-aunt in the purple hat.

Elspet

Elspet is a traditional Scottish feminine name, representing an old Scots variant of Elizabeth. Deriving from the Hebrew Elisheba, meaning 'God is my oath' or 'God's promise', Elspet emerged in…

Endellion

Cornish place and saint's name

"fire soul"

Endellion is the name of an early saint who was a daughter of King Brychan and goddaughter of King Arthur whose life is commemorated by the Cornish village of St. Endellion. This intriguing ancient…

Eponine

French literary name

Eponine is attracting new notice via the movie of Les Miserables, based on the book by Victor Hugo. Eponine is the spoiled daughter of Cosette's foster parents whose name, according to the story, was…

Ethelinda

German, Spanish compound name, Ethel + Linda

"noble + pretty"

Ethelinda is a feminine name that combines the elements "ethel" meaning "noble" or "of noble birth" and "linda" meaning "pretty." The name was used in medieval England but became less common after…

Eulalia

Greek

"sweetly speaking"

Eulalia is a melodious name with a southern drawl, thanks to those lilting double L s and similarity to similar Eudora and Eula. Familiar in the US in the early 20th century, it was also a popular…