Elegant & Effortless “E” Names Every Baby Will Enjoy

Amelia Edelman
·4 min read

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Even if you’re ever-so excellent at making decisions, electing the name you’re going to call your heir can be anything but easy. Especially if you’re looking for a name that begins with “E.” While yes, sure, it’s the most commonly used letter in the English language, “E” names are often anything but expected. Either they’re everywhere (hi, Emilys circa 1984 and Emmas just last year) or they’re ever-elusive and perhaps too excessively eccentric for your tastes? (See: Elvis).

But don’t stress, because we’ve assembled some excellent and endearing “E” names your baby will inhabit effortlessly. Whether you’re looking for something with an edge, or just a bit of elegance, we’ve outlined names (sorted by gender and by era) that have been easily endorsed by parents and tots throughout the ages.

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Hey, you might even elect two “E” names for your enchanting twins, eh? Go wild!

Classic girl names beginning with “E”

  • Eleanor (Roosevelt left some big shoes to fill)

  • Elizabeth (Queen? Or Gilbert, IDK)

  • Evelyn (once a dude’s name, it has transitioned happily)

  • Eve (the O.G.)

  • Eva (meaning “life”)

  • Eliza (Doolittle proves she can transform into anyone)

  • Evangeline (singer Brandi Carlile picked this for her daughter and penned one hell of a song for her too)

  • Elise (from French, meaning “consecrated”)

  • Emma (there’s nothing like an Austen heroine as a legit namesake)

  • Emily (Dickinson would approve)

  • Elena (meaning “shining light” or “the bright one”)

  • Eugenia (meaning “noble”)

  • Emilia (a rare name that works in German, Spanish, Polish, Swedish, you name it)

  • Esther (meaning “star”)

  • Edna (please please please name your child after Edna Mode)

  • Emmanuelle (meaning “faith”)

  • Eglantine (this super unique beauty is French for “wild rose”)

  • Ellen (if it’s good enough for the funniest gal on TV…)

Trendy girl names beginning with “E”‘

  • Ella (ever-popular, means “beautiful fairy,” can you handle it??)

  • Elsa (not just for Frozen)

  • Elle (Elle Woods, y’all)

  • Esma (meaning “emerald”)

  • Elodie (French names are all the rage, and this one means “foreign riches”)

  • Eliana (Greek name meaning “daughter of the sun”)

  • Everdeen (because naming your kid “Katniss” is even more obvious)

  • Enid (author Blyton, a classic Barenaked Ladies song, so many references!)

  • Etta/Ettie (Etta James is an icon and a talent)

  • Edie (not just for Grey Gardens anymore, but that will give her some fabulous fashion inspo)

  • Effie (an abbreviation of the Greek name Euphemia, meaning “well spoken”)

  • Evie (meaning “life, living, lively”)

  • Esmerelda (Quasimodo loved her and so do we)

  • Earie (Scottish name meaning “from the East”)

Greek baby names estevan
Greek baby names estevan

Unisex “E” names

  • Eben (originated from Ebenezer, meaning “the stone of help”)

  • Eden (if Eve was too literal for ya)

  • Evan (Evan Rachel Wood took this into solidly any-gender territory)

  • Eon (shorter or longer than an era? We can’t remember)

  • Ereid (variant on Reid, meaning “red”)

  • Ellis (better than Elvis, that’s for sure)

  • Ellery (means “dwells by the alder trees” which sounds pretty lovely to us)

  • Emery (“brave and powerful” like your little gal or guy will be)

  • Erin (meaning “from Ireland,” but you don’t have to be)

  • Emerson (similar meaning to Emery — and similarly gender-neutral, too)

  • Enzo (means “rules an estate” just like kiddo will rule your house)

Classic boy names beginning with “E”

  • Edward (not just for Twilight fans)

  • Edmund (not just for Narnia fans)

  • Eric (not just for Little Mermaid fans)

  • Eduardo/Édouard (meaning “prosperous guardian”…of the nursery, perhaps)

  • Earl (means “chief”)

  • Ebenezer (see “Eben” above — not just for Scrooges!)

  • Ephraim (meaning “fruitful,” for a truly creative kid)

  • Emanuel (means “God is with us”)

  • Ethan (Frome, Hawke, melancholy lads aplenty)

  • Everett (means “hardy, brave”)

  • Elijah (a prophet kid is a good idea, right?)

  • Estevan (a Greek name meaning “crown”)

Trendy boy names beginning with “E”

  • Ezra (nothing better than!)

  • Elias/Elia/Eli (“defender of man” and let’s hope he adds woman to that, too)

  • Elon (a more solid name than X Æ A-12 at least)

  • Ewan (Celtic name meaning “youthful”)

  • Erik (Danish name meaning “powerful,” a bit jazzier than good-ol’ Eric)

  • Elliot (T.S., Pete’s Dragon, weird and wonderful references everywhere)

  • Edison (for your little inventor)

  • Easton (Weston is another fun one, Northton maybe not)

  • Etienne (meaning “crown,” the French form of Steven)

  • Errol (he’ll grow up enamored by Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood, guaranteed)

Want more inspiration? Here are the top baby names in countries around the world.

Launch Gallery: The Top Baby Names in Over 20 Countries of the World

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