411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Erna
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
erna eRNA -erna
Danish
Proper noun
da proper noun
da female, a feminine form of da Ernst
References
Danskernes Navne, based on CPR data: 20 136 females with the given name Erna have been registered in Denmark between about 1890 (=the population alive in 1967) and January 2005, with the frequency peak in the 1910s. Accessed on 19 June 2011.
Faroese
Proper noun
fo proper noun f
fo female
Usage notes
f Ernuson Ernudóttir
Declension
Erna Ernu Ernu Ernu
German
Etymology
Short form of de Ernesta and de Ernestina, Latinate feminine forms of de Ernst.
Pronunciation
de De-Erna.ogg <<Germany>> (<<Berlin>>)
Proper noun
de proper noun
de female
Usage notes
Popular in Germany around 1900.
Norwegian Bokmål
Erna (given name),no:Erna
Etymology
nb de Erna, a short form of de Ernestine and de Ernesta, feminine names derived from de Ernst, ultimately from nb goh ernust serious, earnest. 18th century in Norway.
The name is identical in form to Old Norse non Erna, the name of Jarl's wife in the poem Rígsþula, traditionally connected with non ern brisk, vigorous, hale. It is uncertain whether this Old Norse name independently influenced modern Norwegian usage.
Compare da Erna and sv Erna female given names.
Pronunciation
nb /ˈæːr.nɑ/ [ˈæːɳɑ]
nb æːrnɑ 2
nb Er na
Proper noun
nb proper noun
nb female German < Old High German.
Usage notes
The Norwegian name day for nb Erna is 2 March, shared with nb Ernst.
The name had its strongest period of use in Norway from approximately 1915 to 1930.
Statistics
According to Statistics Norway, 1,550 women in Norway had nb Erna as their sole or first given name as of 31 December 2025.“Navn”, Statistics Norway; 2025 data.
References
“Erna – kvinnenamn” in Store norske leksikon.
“Erna” at Nordic Names.
Anagrams
nb aenr aner Arne rane
Swedish
Etymology
From sv de Erna. First recorded in Sweden in 1697.
Pronunciation
sv LL-Q9027 (swe)-Moonhouse-Erna.wav
Proper noun
c
sv female
Anagrams
sv aenr Arne Enar aren enar eran rean rena
Turkish
Pronunciation
tr
Proper noun
tr female