Esa
Hebrew masculine name meaning "God's gift" or "God's help".
Name Census estimates that about 701 living Americans carry the first name Esa. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 85.6% of registrations being male. The average person named Esa today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Esa births was 2023 (58 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Esa. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
701
~ 1 in 488,951 Americans
Peak year
2023
58 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,956
Tracked since 1967
Gender
Gender distribution for Esa
Esa leans heavily male at 85.6% of total registrations, but 102 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Esa as a male name
- Ranked #2,956 in 2024
- 42 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (51 births)
Esa as a female name
- Ranked #11,376 in 2024
- 8 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (8 births)
Popularity
Esa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Esa from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 304 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Esa by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Esa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Esas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Esa, while New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Esa
The name Esa has its origins in the Finnish language. It is a masculine given name that means "first-born" or "eldest son" in Finnish. The name is derived from the Finnish word "esikoinen," which translates to "firstborn."
Esa is a relatively modern name, with its earliest recorded usage dating back to the late 19th century. However, the concept of the firstborn son holding a special significance in Finnish culture can be traced back to ancient times, when the firstborn male was often considered the heir apparent and played a crucial role in the family's lineage and inheritance.
One of the earliest documented uses of the name Esa can be found in the Finnish epic poem "Kalevala," which was compiled from traditional folk poetry in the 19th century. In the poem, the character Esa is portrayed as a wise and respected figure, reflecting the importance placed on the firstborn son in Finnish folklore.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Esa. One of the most famous was Esa Pakarinen (1911-1998), a Finnish cross-country skier who won three Olympic gold medals in the 1930s and 1940s. He is considered one of the greatest Finnish athletes of all time.
Another prominent figure was Esa-Pekka Salonen (born 1958), a Finnish conductor and composer who served as the principal conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1992 to 2009. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential conductors of his generation.
In the realm of politics, Esa Härmälä (1925-2020) was a Finnish diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1970 to 1971. He played a significant role in Finland's foreign policy during the Cold War era.
Esa Tikkanen (born 1965) is a former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for several teams, including the New York Rangers and the Edmonton Oilers. He won six Stanley Cup championships during his career and is considered one of the greatest Finnish hockey players of all time.
Lastly, Esa Saarinen (1953-2022) was a Finnish philosopher and academic who made significant contributions to the field of applied ethics. He served as a professor at Aalto University and was widely respected for his work on environmental ethics and business ethics.
People
Esa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Esa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Esa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Esa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 701 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Esa going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 488,951 US residents.
Is Esa a common name?
We classify Esa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 709 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Esa most popular?
The single biggest year for Esa was 2023, when 58 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Esa is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Esa a male name?
Yes, 85.6% of people registered as Esa in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.