Our Favorite Baby Names Starting with E

Here is the game we are playing:

We are going to pretend that we are naming a baby and that the name MUST start with a certain letter, and so we will need one name starting with that letter for a boy and one name starting with that letter for a girl, or else one name that would work for either, EVEN IF we don’t like any of the names that start with that letter enough to Actually In Real Life choose them. It is just a game where we place artificial restrictions on reality in order to create the kind of tension that makes games fun—like when you have to choose what foods you’d eat if you could only eat three foods for the rest of your life: the fun is in thinking it over AS IF it were a real forced decision, while KNOWING it is not. There is a baby! It MUST be given a name with a particular letter! That is the game.

After that basic concept, we can decide our own sub-rules, based on what makes the game fun and not stressful. Some examples:

• I’m not planning to play that the name has to fit with the names of my other children or with the surname, though this would be an option for anyone who would LIKE to play it that way; I think I will have more fun if I pretend it is a stand-alone baby and that the surname is not an issue, though I may change my mind as we go. (And if I narrow it down to a few options and can’t decide, I might use siblings/surname as a tie-breaker.)

• It is also fine to narrow it down to a few finalists without getting to The One Name.

• The boy name and girl name don’t have to work TOGETHER: we are only naming ONE baby, so you’d only use one or the other. But you MAY play that the names have to work together, if that’s more fun.

• It is fine to wave aside issues such as a friend who already used that name, a famous person with the name, etc., if that makes it more fun and less stressful to choose. This is just pretend, so you can pretend that those things aren’t issues if you want to. (Or you can let the issues stand as they are in real life, if THAT is more fun.)

• We can also all make our own decisions about whether the names have to be ones we think we’d ACTUALLY USE in that hypothetical scenario, or just our FAVORITE names starting with that letter, regardless of whether we think the names are practical; I am not sure which way I will play it, and I likely won’t be consistent.

• If you already have a child with a name starting with the letter we’re working on, you get to pick again from all the names that remain; you don’t have to choose your child’s name as your favorite just because it WAS your favorite: this is a FRESH baby, and you wouldn’t give it the same name as your existing child. (If you would normally prefer not to repeat an initial within a sibling group, you can just pretend that’s NOT a preference for the sake of the game.)

• You can do as much or as little explanation as you like in your comment: you can just list the names you chose, or you can explain your process/preferences/reasoning/runners-up, or whatever is most fun.

 

Today’s letter is E. Names already on my girl list: Eliza, Eloise, Esther, Eve. Name I have learned from experience I enjoy on Someone Else’s Baby: Emerald. I would have a very hard time deciding between Eliza and Eloise. I asked Paul, just to see if that would tip my opinion, and he couldn’t decide either. I think I choose Eloise.

Names already on my boy list: Elliot, Edmund, Everett. I think we would have used Elliot for one of our kids if we could have agreed on the spelling, so for this game I pick Elliot with my preferred spelling.

 

Now you! If you want to! Only if it’s fun and not stressful! Feel free to adjust the game-play to be fun and not stressful!

73 thoughts on “Our Favorite Baby Names Starting with E

  1. Jenna

    Easly for me, both of my favorite baby names actually do start with E: Eloise and Edward. Husband wouldn’t agree to either one, but if I had free reign I would have chosen both.

    Reply
  2. Renée

    On my short-long list for my second was both Eliza (though our family had different pronunciations and that bothered me) and Edie. Elin, Edith, Estelle, Etta, Esther, Eugenie are all so sweet. I love clunky Enid and think she’d fit well in my set, so that’s done. Oh and the best day of my name nerd life was even good friends chose the name Eloise for their daughter, upon my recommendation! They’d never heard it before. And now I get to have an Eloise in my life.

    I love the Importance of Being Earnest so Ernest is on my list. Also Eli, Elroy, Eugene, Ezra, Emmett, Elliott. I’m choosing Earl. But I have to mention we used to know the sweetest little Egon and it wears well!

    G: Enid
    B: Earl

    Reply
  3. JenniferB

    Emmeline and Everett

    Emmeline is the first name of my fourth and Everett is the middle name of my third; they’re family names for us and I’m so happy that I used them.

    Reply
  4. kellyelkman

    For girls there are so many I love – Elizabeth, Eloise, Eliza, Emma, Emily and Ella. My favorites are probably Eloise, Elizabeth and Ella. For boys, Edward is my clear and absolute favorite. For this exercise I pick Elizabeth and Edward (like Swistle’s twins’ pseudonyms!), called Eliza and Teddy.

    Reply
  5. Cece

    Ooh lots of good E names

    I like Eliza, Edith, Elin, Eleonora – but I think I’d go with Edith

    For a boy I like Elliot, Ellis (although both of those are probably more modern than my normal style), Ewan, but I think I would pick Emory.

    Reply
  6. Kerri

    E is too easy for me, it’s almost no fun. :)
    Eleanor is my favorite, it’s my great grandmother’s name. Runners up are Eloise and Eliza.
    Elliott for boys, I like the symmetry of the double-L and double-T.

    Reply
  7. Kait

    For a girl, I like Eliza, Esther nicknamed Essie, and Emmeline. I would go with Esther!
    For a boy, I have an Elijah nicknamed Eli, and I would choose it again! I also like Ewan after watching Ewan McGregor’s motorcycle documentary shows :) I also like Edward nicknamed Ned.

    Reply
  8. Matti

    E IS a fun one!

    A girl’s name would be Edie, Evelyn, or Ella for me.
    A boy’s would be Eamon or Elliott.

    We’re in the works to adopt another cat, and we’re having SO much fun discussing names. And I’m free to use names I’ve always loved but couldn’t use for various reasons.

    Reply
  9. Amity

    For boys I like Eliot and Elias.
    For girls, I have an Eden and used Elisabeth for a middle. My own middle is Ellayne (pronounced Ella-knee) but I wouldn’t use it for a kid as the pronunciation doesn’t fit the spelling. I do like Elodie and Elise.
    Boy: Eliot
    Girl: Eden
    Funny note: we lived in the UK for several years and when we’d pass a town called Eltisley, I always joked that it had all the components to be a rising girl name. El plus ley plus a unique middle.

    Reply
  10. Yolihet

    E is a good one for me! For Girls I love Eliza, Eloise, Ella, Emmaline and Eliana. For boys I love Ethan and Eli. My final picks:
    G – Eloise
    B – Eli

    Reply
    1. Ashley

      Eliza and Emmett. I’d also strongly consider Eleanor, Eloise, Elizabeth, Esme for girls and Elliot, Edmund, Edward and Everett for boys.

      Reply
  11. Sara

    Oh!!! The wonderful letter E!
    I have an Edward, and love love love his name. It was the only name from my long-running baby name list that actually made it onto one of my children, and it wears as well as I had hoped. I also like Elliott and Edmund. Even Edgar!

    For girls: Elisabeth is a family name and my daughters middle, and I do love it as a middle, and love the s. We couldn’t agree on a nickname but I was really trying to make the nickname Etta work for Elisabeth. I love Edith, Edie, Eloise, Eleanor, Enid, Eliza, Etta. My husband wasn’t a fan of any, Unfortunately. Not sure I could decide on one, I love them all so much! So I will choose what sounds best with my last name to try to narrow down…in that case, Etta. No, Eleanor. Or Eliza? Edith? Edie?
    So happy for all the people out there that got to use these delightful names.

    Reply
  12. EmRose

    My favorites:
    Ekaterina, Etta, Edith. I would probably choose Edith with nickname Edie.

    Elsworth, Edward, Ennio. We came close to using Ennio for our first child, but it was a bit much for us. I choose it for this game though! Elsworth (with only one L) is a family name we ended up using as our first kid’s middle, and I love it.

    Reply
  13. Jean C.

    My daughter’s middle name is Eloise and I sometimes wish I had put it in the first name spot. I love it so much. I also like Evangeline, which is a close second for me.
    I don’t feel quite as drawn to any boy names as strongly, but I do like Evander.

    Reply
  14. Annie

    I have an Edith and I’d choose it again so I pick that ;)

    Currently trying to decide irl if Edith rules out a brother Edmund so for the purposes of this game I choose Edmund for a boy!

    Reply
  15. Heidi J

    For a girl, Eva – which is one of the names that got away, though I also love Eliza and Elaina. For a boy, well, we already used out favorite boy E name and I’m not choosing any of the names of my actual children, so I’m going to go with Ethan.

    E: Eva and Ethan
    F: Fern and Finn
    G: Genevieve and Gideon
    H: Hannah and Heath
    I: Iris and Isaac
    J: June and Jude
    K: Kestrel and Kellan
    L: Leia and Lance
    M: Magnolia and Miles
    N: Naomi and Nathaniel
    O: Ophelia and Owen
    P: Pippa and Peter
    Q: Quinn and Quill
    R: Rosalie and Roan
    S: Susanna and Simon
    T: Tessa and Thaddeus
    U: Umbria and Urban
    V: Vera and Valerian
    W: Wren and West
    X: Xymeria and Xavier
    Y: Ysabel and Yarrow
    Z: Zelie and Zebulon

    Reply
  16. belinda bop

    Boy Name: In real life, probably Edward! Nickname Ned.

    But for this game I’m going to say ELMER. Like Casper and Ursula, it is a great name needs to be reclaimed from cartoon purgatory.

    For a girl… Eula is interesting. But Estelle is one of my all-time favorite names, so ESTELLE it is!

    Reply
  17. Lindsay

    I have a 2 year old Eloise and we love it. It’s the perfect name for our little sunshine.
    But if I had to choose another E girl (and since spousal baggage doesn’t apply here), I’d go with Elizabeth.

    For an E boy, I think I’d go with Elliot. I’d think seriously about Earl because Earl(s) is my last name and I like the idea of giving my kid my name BUT I don’t actually like it that much so I probably wouldn’t use it.

    Reply
  18. StephLove

    I’ve always like Elisabeth (nickname Elsie) but since my wife is Elizabeth it would seem odd, a namesake but with just one letter different. I might go with Elsa or Elspeth instead to make it a little more different and still keep Elsie. Eleanor is a favorite, too, and Emily and Emma and Ellen, which is my sister’s middle name, so there’s a nice family tie-in. I think it’s Elsa, though.

    Eliot, maybe for a boy. I have a similar spelling problem as you, but instead of not being able to get a spouse on board with the spelling I like, I can’t decide which one I like. I like Evan, but I have a bad association with it that rules it out. Oh, Elijah. I actually had that on my list during my second pregnancy. I pick Elijah.

    Reply
  19. Emily

    I don’t have as many on my E list as I thought!

    For girls I used to love Evelyn after my grandmother, nickname Evie after my favourite pokemon as a kid, but wow that got popular! I’ve always loved Evangeline on other people’s babies. I also think Estelle, Ellen and Eloise are fine names, but pick is definitely Elsie.

    For boys, E names are one of our biggest roadblocks in naming our next boy! We both love Teddy as a nickname, but my partner likes Edward and I like Edgar, neither of us can see budging. I love Everett too, but my pick has got to be Edgar!

    Reply
      1. Emily

        I’ve considered Edmund, but I have a strong chronicles of narnia association, and it feels a bit slow in the mouth? I like Edwin though! I’m going to do some research and maybe bring that one up. Thanks!

        Reply
  20. beeejet

    Most of the female E names are a bit to “frilly” for my taste. They are LOVELY, on someone else’s baby/child. I love hearing Everleigh, Evangeline and Estella being used. Elizabeth, Edith and Esther are all cute, but too tied to personal connections for me to use. Thus I’m left with Eloise and Esme. Esme fits my short-and-sweet style, while Eloise has the bookish sparkle I’m drawn to. I’m going with Eloise today. but another day I could just as easily pick Esme.

    For boys, Elliott is a long-time favorite. Emmett is a close second.

    E: (f) Eloise – (m) Elliott
    F: (f)Felicity – (m) Fitzwilliam
    G: (f)Georgiana – (m)Graham
    H: (f)Heidi – (m) Herbert/Hugh
    I:(f) Isla – (m)Ian
    J: (f) Jones Elise – (m) John Elliott (Jett)
    K: (f)Kathryn – (m)Kirk
    L: (f)Laurel – (m)Liam
    M: (f)Miriam – (m)Miles
    N:(f)Naomi – (m)Nigel or Neil
    O:(f)Olivia – (m)Orion
    P:(f)Penelope(Poppy) – (m)Porter
    PH:(f)Phoebe – (m)Phillip
    Q:(f or m)Quimby
    R:(f)Ruth – (m)Russell or Rhett
    S:(f)Simone or Sierra – (m)Seth
    T:(f)Tessa/Tess – (m)Tucker
    U:(f)Ula – (m)Umberton
    V:(f)Viola or Vivian – (m)Vaughn
    W:(f)Wynn – (m)Webb or Whit
    X:(f)Xanthe – (m)Xavier
    Y:(f)Yara – (m)York
    Z:(f)Zella – (m)Zeke

    Reply
  21. onelittletwolittle

    I have an Esther (nn Essie), and it is GREAT name.

    For girls: Eleanor, Eliza, Eugenie.

    For boys: Edward (family name), Everett, Eamon, Ethan, Ezekiel, Ebenezer.

    I’d go with Eugenie (g) and Ethan (b)

    Reply
  22. KitBee

    Argh, it’s so hard to choose — too many good E names! For a boy, I like Evan and Everett and Eli. I’m actually not a huge fan of Edward, but I love the nicknames Ned and Ted/Teddy! That might be enough to sway me to Edward.

    And for girls, I love all the Jane Austen heroine names — Elinor/Eleanor, Emma, Elizabeth. :) Emma was actually my top girl name for years, but I’m just not terribly excited about it anymore. I also quite like Emerald, but that’s a little too unusual for me! I probably would go with Elizabeth since it’s such a beautiful classic (plus, Elizabeth Bennet!), even though I don’t care for most of the nicknames.

    So yes, I would copy Swistle’s twin pseudonyms and go with Edward and Elizabeth!

    Reply
  23. Jenny

    My beloved sister is Elizabeth nn Libby, so I would almost certainly go with Elizabeth. But I love Eleanor too. Maybe I’d use both: Elizabeth Eleanor.

    A boy is harder. I’m not drawn to as many E names for boys. But I think I’d go with Eamon or Ewan.

    Reply
  24. Kanah

    I could name so many babies with E names!

    Girls: Ellison, Emilin, Elle, Evelyn (Evvy), Emma, Ensley, Ellis

    Boys: Ethan, Emmett, Everett

    I think I’d choose Emilin and Ethan as my favorites!

    Reply
    1. Jess

      Ellis for a boy and Etta for a girl

      Etta Rose
      Etta Maeve
      Etta Winifred
      Etta June

      Ellis Hayes
      Ellis Arthur
      Ellis Dean
      Ellis Walter

      Reply
  25. Alexandra

    For a boy, Edward. For a girl, Eleanor or Elizabeth, called Eliza, both of which are serious contenders for our baby due in a few months, if it’s a girl.

    Reply
  26. Rew

    Eden and Everett

    Eden is our daughter, her mn is Elizabeth after myself and several grandmothers on both sides of the family. I still love her name, and we receive nothing but good comments about her name, and how unique it is. Ellen, I will likely never use, but it is a family name and I love its simplicity. I think it is a beautiful classic, and I hope a sister will use it some day.

    Everett is on our list and its meaning is significant to our story. It sounds so strong and handsome to me. Elijah is also on our list. I love Elliot, a nephew’s name.

    Reply
  27. Elisabeth

    In first place, Elliot and Elisabeth. The first just because I like it, the second because it’s a family name of very long standing and my spouse adores it. It’s 2nd on his list of preferred names, after the Rae we gave our daughter.

    Also high on my list:
    Girls: Evelyn, Eleanor, Elissa
    Boys: Evan, Emilio (if the lad had any Latinx heritage), Emil,

    I quite like Ebony, but not sure it’s appropriate on my blonds. I’m 2 for 2 there, lol.

    I like Eowyn, too, but I prefer to use Tolkien names on pets.

    Reply
  28. heidi

    E is such a good letter! I can’t believe I didn’t use it.

    For girls I like Elena, Everly, and Ella. For boys I like Everett, Ezra, and Ellis.

    I think I would choose: Elena and Ellis

    Reply
  29. Carolyn

    Evangeline and Elnora are family names; in fact, if we had had a girl, we were planning to name her Evangeline. We have two boys and are done, so for this game I choose my grandma’s name, Elnora. I would call her Nonie, which was Grandma’s nn growing up.

    For a boy I like Eliot, Edward, Everett, and Eli. I think my preference is for Everett, but I do love a family name, so IRL I’d probably choose Eli (great-grandpa).

    Reply
  30. Jenny Grace

    Oh boy E is one of my NAME LETTERS. I have close family members named Elliot and Elijah and Ellen whom I feel effectively eliminate some of my favorites but NOT IN THIS GAME. I love Eliza, Eloise, I have always been very fond of Ethan although it might be dated, Obviously Everett is a fave (it is one of my kid’s names), Eleanor is so good and I’ve always loved Eden. Edith, Esther! I love Esther. Without an Everett another strong favorite of mine is Emmett, I once met and was quite charmed by a little boy named Emil, I love Eddie as a cute nickname, and I think my favorite thing it is short for is Edwin. I want to call out that Elijah and Elliot are both also favorites of mine, although even in this game I won’t repeat names of cousins. I think I especially love E because of all the “can’t use it” names in the category (due to existing people). I am repeating myself! Onward!

    E: Edwin and Eloise
    F: Felix and Frances
    G: George and Grace
    H: Harvey and Hazel
    I: Isaac and Iris (honorable mention Isaiah)
    J: Jasper and Jane
    K: Kieran and Kathryn
    L: Leland and Louisa
    M: Matthew & Margot
    N: Neil & Nadine (strong second place Naomi)
    O: Oscar & Opal
    P: Patrick & Paloma (close seconds are Peter & Pearl)
    Q: Quinn (for either, because I already have a Quentin)
    R: Robert & Ruth (special shout out to Ramona)
    S: Sawyer & Sylvie
    T: Toby & Tabitha
    U: Uriel & Una
    V: Vincent & Veronica
    W: Walter & Winonah (honorable mention to Warren)
    X: Xavier & Xia
    Y: Yusef & Yolanda
    Z: Zachary & Zelda (but upon reflection I think maybe Zinnia)

    Reply
    1. Ira Sass

      Ethan is dated already? It was #13 in the US last year. But I guess its popularity is starting to fall.

      Reply
  31. rldeuel

    For boys, I like Evan and Ethan and Eli. Edwin is a family name, and I don’t love it, but would like the nickname Wyn. I like Edmund, and Edward, too, especially on other people’s babies. Ditto Elliot. But really, it comes down to Evan or Ethan, and I don’t know which I would choose. Oh, or maybe I am warming more and more to Everett? Argh. Hm. Okay, I’m going with Ethan as being the most timeless seeming to me.

    And for girls … whew! Emily was a favorite before it became so popular (and despite having two awful Emily’s in my high school class – Emily, a name so great it survives bad associations). I also like Emma, Evangeline, and Eve. And Eloise would fit well with my real-life naming pattern of nodding to my family tree, as “Louise” is my middle name and was my great-grandmother’s as well. Eleanor is a seriously strong contender and is ALMOST my favorite E name. In fact, before I remembered that I HAD a stronger favorite, Eleanor was going to be The One. But that honor, and the winner of this naming game, is Evelyn. Because of The Mummy.

    Evelyn and Ethan

    Reply
  32. Mara

    Elena and Emile! I think I would choose Emile even though it would give me a Remy and an Emile (aka the two brother rats from Ratatouille haha)!

    Reply
  33. Ashley

    A boy name starting with E is easy for me: Ezra. I like it so much and definitely would have used it if my husband hadn’t ruled out all E names because the initial E. combines with our last name to make the word “eater”.
    For a girl Edith really grew on me this year after I binge-watched all of Downton Abbey over the course of the year. I like that it would fit in well with my other girls’ names but still give her a unique name ending.

    Reply
  34. Maree

    Girls are easy! Eleanor, Elisabeth and Eve!!
    Boys. Oof. Harder. Maybe Evan or Ezra. Ooh or Elias or Elijah. I prefer Elisha but I think that would confuse people.

    Eve or Elijah I think.

    Reply
  35. Courtney

    Girl: Esme (this was my number one name had my first child been a girl). Other strong contenders: Ever, Evelyn, Emory.
    Boy: Eliot (used as a middle name for one of my own); Evan (was a strong contender for my first, but my husband hates it).

    Reply
  36. Meg

    There are so many wonderful E names for girls, but it’s actually pretty easy to choose my favorite: Elizabeth! But I also adore Isabella, so if I already had a daughter by that name, my second choice would be Evangeline…or maybe just Eve. Probably Evangeline since it sounds better with my one-syllable last name and has lots of nicknames (including Eve ), but I do love Eve slightly more.

    Boys are surprisingly tough. I like Evan, but IIRC, I already chose Ivan for I. Ethan is my best friend’s son’s name. I like Elijah for someone else’s kid, but can’t picture using it myself for some reason. Maybe Edward or Emmanuel? But Emmanuel doesn’t have great nickname options and Edward shares too many nicknames/is too similar to other faves, Frederick and Theodore. Ugh! Umm…I guess I’ll go with Edward? IDK.

    Reply
  37. Paola Bacaro

    I was initially going to pick my husband’s name Eoin (pronounced Owen) because I couldn’t think of any boy names. But then I remembered that I tried to convince him to name our second Enzo! That is my pick followed by the classic Ethan. For a girl Emilia. Also, I watch a tv show called Murdoch Mysteries and there is a character named Effie. I’m sure someone here could tell me what that’s short for!

    Reply
      1. Maree

        Epiphany as well! There is an Australian TV star who’s daughter is Ephie (or Effie??) short for Epiphany. They have Greek heritage.

        Reply
  38. laura

    TLDR: Eugene, Elfi
    I thought this would be easy, but it was absolutely not. For boys, my favorite name (and my saddest, could not use name) is Eugene, and so that is my choice. BUT I love several other E boy names, top among them is Earnest, which is a lovely name.
    For girls, I choose Elfi, which was grandmother’s name and she passed after my children were born. I do love Estelle too.

    Reply
  39. Beth

    I have Eli, Ezra, & Emmett on my list for boys. For this game I pick Eli.

    I don’t have any E girl names on my list. After looking at several lists, I reluctantly choose Elena.

    Reply
  40. renchickadee

    I think I adore just about all of the biblical “e” names for boys (Ezra, Enoch, Ephraim, Ethan, Eben, Esau, etc.), especially the ones that can have Eli as a nickname (Elijah, Elon, Eliseo, etc.). However, I chose a biblical name for my son that rhymes with Eli and sounds a bit like Zeke, so Ezekiel and the Eli names are out as well as Etai, Esai, and probably Esaias. I also don’t think I would want to choose another Old Testament name with my son’s anyway. I love them so much, but I’m not religious and wouldn’t want a theme. The Eli nickname problem probably also removes Eladio, Eliodoro, and maybe Elio from consideration because I know that I would want to use Eli as a nickname.

    Other “e” names for boys that I would like on other people’s children include Eric/Erik, Emmerich/Emeric, Evan, Emrys, Ewan, Eamon, Edwin, Enzo, Errol, Endymion, Erastus, Erasmus, Emilio, and Emiliano.

    The name that I would most want to choose is Evander or Evandro. I didn’t choose it for my son because it seems like the kind of name that you only choose if you want to honor the one person that everyone associates it with, but it is definitely the “e” name I would pick in a world where considerations like that didn’t exist. If I couldn’t bring myself to choose it, then I might consider Evren, but I think I would prefer that as a middle.

    The letters “e” and “a” (when we get to it) are tough for a girl because there are so many girl names that can have these letters added onto the beginning, and it creates a bunch of new names that I like, for example, Nora can become Enora. I don’t know how to choose!

    One of my top two favorite girl names has always been Emily, but I just couldn’t pick it due to its extreme past popularity. Emilia is pleasant but not the same. Maybe I could be happy with Emiliana since it gets me the “-ana” ending that I love?

    Names for girls starting with “e” that I love on other people’s children include Elizabeth and all of its “e” forms and nicknames (Eliza, Elizabella, Elise, Elsa, Elspeth, etc.), Elena, Eleni, Eileen, Emma, Emmeline, Eloise, Eloisa, Elodie, Emanuela, Evangeline, Esme, Ella, Etta, Eve, Eva, Evita, Estella, Eilonwy, Eowyn, Eithne, Eira, Endellion, Elowen, Evgenia, Eleftheria, and Eurydice. I think Ekaterina would not be pronounced correctly if I chose this spelling, so I wouldn’t choose it even though it’s a form of one of my top two favorite names.

    I’d love to use Evanthe or Evadne but only in the middle spot. There are also names that I would love to use as firsts but would be worried about choosing because of trendiness and similarity to so many other names, including the ones that rhyme with mine: Emmalina, Evalina, Eleonora, Eliora, Eliara, Elora, Elara, Enora, Enola, Elaria, Eleria, Elyria, Eliana, Eliodora/Eleadora. Basically, I end up talking myself out of almost every “e” name, in spite of how much I love them. If I had to pick one with no outside help, I would go with Eleonora, but I would prefer it to be pronounced with five syllables, not four.

    Reply
  41. Saraya

    Emmélise for a girl, nn Emmie
    Ernest for a boy, nn Ernie
    There’s really no contest- although I love a lot of E names, those are the two.

    Runners up:
    Élodie, Eirlys, Eloise (Elsie), Eveline (Evie)
    Edwin nn Ned

    Reply
  42. Jane

    My biggest guilty pleasure name for a girl is Euphemia, so there’s no contest. Although I definitely like almost every Eu- name for girls!

    For a boy, I love Edgar and Eldrid, but the top choice has to be Enoch.

    g: Euphemia
    b: Enoch

    Reply
  43. Anna

    I love Evelyn, it was our choice for a girl before we had kids, but ultimately we didn’t use it because it was getting so popular (our first girl was born in 2014). This
    old Swistle post definitely influenced me! I also like Eowyn. For a boy, Errol or Edgar.

    Reply
  44. BSharp

    Oooh. E is one of The Best letters. Estelle or Estella, Elinor, Eva. I like Etta best short for Harriet, and Elinor is a touch too popular for me, so Estelle it is. Ezra or Emil or Edmund or Elias/Elijah/Eli or Emrys…Edmund, please, because Emil and Elias conflict with our names.

    E: Estelle and Edmund
    F: Frances and Finnian
    G: Guinevere and Gideon
    H: Harriet and Hayden
    I: Iris and Isaac
    J: Judith and Julian
    K: Kestrel
    L: Louisa and Luke
    M: Mae and Matthias
    N: Nicola or Nicholas
    O: Octavia and Oliver
    P: Paulina or Paul
    Q: Quartz and Quentin
    R: Rosa and Raphael
    S: Sylvie and Samuel
    T: Theodora and Timothy
    U: Una and Ulysses
    V: Vera and Valerian
    W: Willa and Walter
    X: Xenia and Xavier
    Y: Yvaine and Yves
    Z: Zinnia and Zachary

    Reply
  45. Deedee

    I have always loved the name Elise. So I’d pick that although I do love so many other E names for girls. Eugenia, Estelle, Eve are close runners-up. I grew up with a girl named Evan which I thought was an extremely cool name. She went by Evie. (Pronounced EHvee.)

    For boys I would pick Edward. I also really like Elliott, Eli, Everett.

    Reply
  46. brims

    Lots of girl names I love! Eliza, Eve, Evelyn, Eleanor, Elise, Eloise, Eden, Elsa, Elaine, Erin, and Edna! Some are too popular for me taste or have been ruled out by pop culture, but a little Evie or Edie (nicknames) are so sweet. Eve is a top contender middle name. A good short/sweet goes with so many things but not used so highly! It doesn’t seem to be back in fashion as much as other grandmother names, but I really love Edna and Edna Mode from The Incredibles is just the right amount of sassy/quirky to make me love it more. I think you could get Edie out of it, too! I think I’d chicken out in the real world and choose Elaine (my grandmother’s name) and would use Edna for a quirky cat. I think it’s a good sign that it sounds like a great pet name, that seems to be the precursor to them being back in fashion for people again!

    Boys, I like a lot less E names, but some of the classics stand out. Edward is okay, but I love the nn Ned so that could give it some edge. Everett is good, so is Evan, Elliott, Ethan. I think I’d go Elliott if it weren’t for the multiple spellings. I choose Evan.

    E – (e) Elaine, (m) Evan
    F – (f) Freya, (m) Ford
    G – (f) Gwen, (m) Grant
    H – (f) Hillary, (m) Hugh
    I – (f) Imogen, (m) Iver
    J – (f) Joy, (m) Julian
    K – (f) Kendra, (m) Keith
    L – (f) Louisa, (m) Logan
    M – (f) Mallory, (m) Marshall
    N – (f) Nadine, (m) Neil
    O – (f) Odette, (m) Oliver
    P – (f) Pia, (m) Parson
    Q – (f) Quincy, (m) Quaid
    R – (f) Ramona, (m) Roger
    S – (f) Susanna, (m) Sullivan
    T – (f) Thora, (m) Tatum
    U – (f) Uma, (m) Umber
    V – (f) Virginia, (m) Vaughn
    W – (f) Whitney, (m) Wade
    X – (f) Xaida, (m) Xander
    Y – (f) Yardley, (m) York
    Z – (f) Zoe, (m) Zachary 

    Reply
  47. Jaime

    So many great choices! In the end, I’d go with Edith, nn Edie, and Evan. Esther and Everett would be runners-up.

    Reply
  48. Ira Sass

    Gah so many options!

    My name is Eli and I picked it, so that would be my favorite, but I wouldn’t name a kid after myself.

    I also like Elliott a lot, but all of the names starting with the “ell” sound are SO popular right now… that might also rule out Eliana, Elodie, Ellis, Elise, and Eliza for me.

    I love the name Emil, but I only know one Emil so I have strong association with it.

    I like Everett, Evander, Ezra, Etienne for boys. Ever and Echo for any gender- or Ever could also be a nickname for Everett. The various “Eve” names for girls: Eve, Eva, Evelyn. Estelle with the nickname Esti is cool.

    I’m going with Everett (Ever) and Estelle (Esti).

    E: Everett (Ever), Estelle (Esti).
    F: Francesca (Frankie), Felipe
    G: Gwen, Gael
    H: Hazel, Harriet
    I: Ivy, Ilan
    J: Julia, Julian
    K: Katrina, Kade
    M: Mirah, Matteo
    N: Nadia, Nathaniel
    O: Ocean
    P: Patrick, Pearl
    Q: Quill, Quiara
    R: Ramona, Raphael, River
    S: Simone, Sylvan, Sage
    T: Talia, Theodore (Theo)
    U: Uma, Uriah
    V: Vanessa, Vaughn
    W: Wednesday, Wade
    X: Xiomara, Xavier
    Y: Yvonne, Yonatan, Yael
    Z: Zora, Zayn

    Reply

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