Esmee
A feminine name of French origin meaning "beloved" or "esteemed".
Name Census estimates that about 806 living Americans carry the first name Esmee. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Esmee today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Esmee births was 2019 (78 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Esmee. 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
806
~ 1 in 425,254 Americans
Peak year
2019
78 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,706
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Esmee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Esmee from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 468 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Esmee remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Esmee 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 Esmee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Esmees live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Esmee, while Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 42 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Esmee
The name Esmee has its origins in the French language and is a diminutive form of the name Esmeralda, which is derived from the Spanish word "esmeralda" meaning "emerald". The earliest records of the name date back to the 12th century, when it was first used as a literary name in the medieval French story of "Esmeri and Esmerie".
In the 14th century, the name gained popularity in Europe, particularly in France and England. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name was Esmee de Gaillon, a French noblewoman who lived in the late 14th century and was known for her charitable works and patronage of the arts.
The name Esmee also appears in literature, most notably in Victor Hugo's famous novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1831), where the character Esmeralda is a beautiful gypsy dancer. This literary reference helped to further popularize the name in the 19th century.
One notable historical figure who bore the name was Esmee Hawkey (1908-1998), a British artist and printmaker who was known for her vibrant woodcuts and linocuts. Another was Esmee Courtney (1894-1976), an Australian actress and singer who performed on stage and in films during the early 20th century.
In the realm of religion, the name Esmee is associated with the Hebrew name "Esther", which means "star". This connection has led to the name being used by some Jewish families, although its usage in this context is relatively rare.
Other historical figures with the name include Esmee Phillipps (1912-2005), a British aristocrat and philanthropist who was instrumental in preserving historic properties in England, and Esmee van Leer (1898-1984), a Dutch feminist and pacifist who campaigned for women's rights and advocated for non-violence.
Overall, the name Esmee has a rich history that spans centuries and cultures, with its roots in French and Spanish languages and literary and historical references that have contributed to its enduring popularity.
People
Esmee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Esmee 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
Esmee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Esmee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 806 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Esmee 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 425,254 US residents.
Is Esmee a common name?
We classify Esmee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 812 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Esmee most popular?
The single biggest year for Esmee was 2019, when 78 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Esmee is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Esmee a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Esmee in the SSA data are female. 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.