Algernon

AL-jer-non
French
"moustached man"

Algernon Origin and Meaning

The name Algernon is a boy's name of French origin meaning "moustached man".

While this name came into being in the Victorian era as a nickname for a man with whiskers, the name was quickly embraced as a true name by the Victorians and is likely most familiar to you as the name of Oscar Wilde's fabulous character in The Importance of being Earnest . However, Algernon is not confined to the fictional world of satire; many real world namesakes exist including US footballer Algernon Crumpler (aka Alge Crumpler), British impressionist painter Algernon Talmage, and Canadian astrophysicist Joseph Algernon Pearce, who discovered many thinks about the Milky Way. Plus, who can go past the adorable nickname Algie?

# 964 in the US

Algernon Rank in US Top 1000

Algernon Popularity

Famous People Named Algernon

  • Algernon Charles Swinburne
    English poet
  • Algernon Henry Blackwood
    English novelist
  • Algernon Sidney
    English political philosopher and politician
  • Algernon Sidney Paddock
    U.S. Senator from Nebraska
  • Algernon Robert Fitzhardinge Kingscote
    British tennis player
  • Algernon H. Lee
    American socialist politician and educator
  • Algernon Usborne Willis
    British fleet admiral
  • Algernon Griggs "Algie" McBride
    American baseball player
  • Ralph George Algernon Percy
    12th Duke of Northumberland

Algernon in Pop Culture

  • Algernon Rowan
    Webb: character on TV's "The Worst Witch"
  • Algernon Moncrieff: young man
    about,town in Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" (from the 1895 play: "I really can't see why you should object to the name of Algernon. It is not at all a bad name. In fact, it is rather an aristocratic name. Half of the chaps who go into the Bankruptcy Court are called Algernon.")
  • J. Algernon Hawthorne: character portrayed by Terry
    Thomas in the 1963 film "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"