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It almost counts as a family name! On DH's side ... an ancestor who came out to South Africa with Queen Victoria's army to fight the Boers liked the place and decided to stay - he came from a family of about ten, farm labourers in Essex. And his two closest friends also left and stayed on here. One was named Ernest, the other's ln was Fraser, and Ernest Fraser was what he named his second son. Since then there've been several Frasers and another Ernest. Neither of the Ernests used his name, though: one went by a nn and the other by his mn.

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So, not the most attractive name, but very positive associations. Ernestine could work as a mn but not, I think, as a fn. Same with Ernest; if I was in Germany I'd happily consider Ernst, though: I really prefer it.