| ![Show Contents]() Ernest History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Ernest surname is thought to derive from the Old High German word "ernus," which meant "fight." As such, Ernest was most likely originally a nickname for a person or family whose defining characteristic is a serious demeanor or temperament. Nickname surnames were a class of German names derived from "eke-names," or "added names," that described people by a personal characteristic or other attribute. Early Origins of the Ernest familyThe surname Ernest was first found in Bavaria, where the family emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation. Early History of the Ernest familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ernest research. Another 234 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1556, 1624, 1644, 1664, 1666, 1675, 1682, 1688, 1695, 1712, 1716, 1719, 1773, 1786, 1787, 1798, 1814, 1832, 1838 and 1844 are included under the topic Early Ernest History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Ernest Spelling VariationsIn the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Ernest include Ernst, Ernste, Ernest, Errnst, Ernesten, Arnst, Aernst, Arnest and many more. Early Notables of the Ernest familyProminent among members of the name Ernest in this period include - Francis Ernest of Hesse-Darmstadt (1695-1716), a German nobleman
Ernest RankingIn the United States, the name Ernest is the 5,500th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1
 Ernest migration to the United States | + |
Thousands of German settlers came to North America between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries. The hardships of the long voyage were balanced by the opportunity to escape poverty and religious persecution. The descendents of these settlers still populate the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many also live in Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Ernest or a variant listed above:
Ernest Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Christian Ernest, who arrived in New York in 1842 2
- Friedrich Ernest, who settled in Texas in 1846
- John Ernest, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1870 2
- George Ernest, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1872 2
| Ernest migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Ernest Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century- Cornelius Ernest, who landed in Canada in 1841
| Ernest migration to New Zealand | + |
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include: Ernest Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Mr. T. Ernest, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Tongariro" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1887 3
| Contemporary Notables of the name Ernest (post 1700) | + |
- Edward Ernest, American baseball player
- Roy H. Ernest, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 47th District, 1930 4
- Josephine Ernest, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oklahoma, 1956 4
- Gifford Ernest, American politician, Farmer-Labor Candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois at-large, 1920 4
- Benjamin W. Ernest, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Tennessee, 1932 4
- John Ernest Steinbeck Jr. (1902-1968), renowned American author, who wrote such novels as "Of Mice and Men" (1937) and "The Grapes of Wrath" (1939). He received the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1960 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Leslie Ernest Dayman (1938-2023), Australian actor best known for his performances on television
- Walter Ernest Wearne (1867-1931), Australian politician and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1917 until 1930
- John Ernest Flood (1932-2023), English professional footballer who played as a winger (1952-1959)
- John Ernest Tranter (1943-2023), Australian poet, publisher and editor who published more than twenty books of poetry, recipient of the Creative Arts Fellowship in 1990
| Historic Events for the Ernest family | + |
HMS Dorsetshire - John Ernest, (Jack) Wheeler, British crew member aboard the HMS Dorsetshire (1945) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 5
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
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Ernest migration to the United States 
Ernest migration to Canada 
Ernest migration to New Zealand 
England
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