Erl as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Erl

What is the meaning of the name Erl ?

The baby name Erl is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced /ɜːrl/ (UK), /ɝl/ (US) — sounds like 'Earl'.

Erl is English, Germanic in Origin.

Erl is a compact masculine name with dual Germanic roots. In English it functions as a streamlined respelling of Earl, from Old English eorl “nobleman,” the rank later standardized as earl after the Norman period. In Scandinavia it appears as a short form of names beginning with Erl-, especially Erling (from Old Norse jarl “chieftain, earl”) and Erlend (from erlendr “foreigner, outsider”). Literary German has also familiarized the element via Erlkönig, though that association is folkloric rather than a direct source.

Usage is rare but documented in Anglophone records from the early 20th century, when minimalist spellings were momentarily fashionable; in Norway it is mostly a nickname. Meanings follow origin: “nobleman/earl” via Earl or Erling, or “foreigner” via Erlend. Variants and relatives include Earl, Earle, Erle, Erling, Erlend, Erland, and Jarl; feminine counterparts occasionally appear as Earla or the Icelandic Erla.