Esmerelda
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "emerald".
Name Census estimates that about 730 living Americans carry the first name Esmerelda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Esmerelda today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Esmerelda births was 2021 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Esmerelda. 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
730
~ 1 in 469,526 Americans
Peak year
2021
39 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,300
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Esmerelda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Esmerelda from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 183 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Esmerelda remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Esmerelda 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 Esmerelda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Esmereldas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Esmerelda
The name Esmerelda is of Spanish and French origin, derived from the Old French name "Esmeraudee" or the Spanish "Esmeralda," both meaning "emerald." It gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in Spain and France.
Esmerelda was a name commonly used among the higher classes and noble families during the 12th and 13th centuries. The earliest recorded use of the name can be traced back to a Spanish noblewoman named Esmerelda de Navarra, who lived in the late 12th century.
In literature, the name gained widespread recognition through Victor Hugo's famous novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," published in 1831. The character of Esmerelda, a beautiful gypsy dancer, played a significant role in the story and contributed to the name's popularity.
One of the earliest historical figures with the name Esmerelda was Esmerelda de Ponce de León (c. 1356-1418), a Spanish noblewoman and the daughter of the Count of Arcos. Another notable bearer of the name was Esmerelda de Malaga (c. 1460-1520), a Spanish poet and writer during the Renaissance period.
In the 19th century, Esmerelda Annersley (1858-1924) was a British educator and headmistress of the prestigious St. Paul's Girls' School in London. Esmerelda Pankhurst (1858-1928), a British political activist and a prominent member of the Women's Social and Political Union, was also known by this name.
Esmerelda Parra (1900-1977) was a Mexican actress and singer who appeared in numerous films during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Esmerelda Santiago (born 1948) is a Puerto Rican author and memoirist, best known for her memoir "When I Was Puerto Rican."
While the name Esmerelda has remained relatively uncommon, it has maintained a presence throughout history, particularly in Spanish and French-speaking regions, and has been associated with notable individuals from various fields.
People
Esmerelda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Esmerelda 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
Esmerelda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Esmerelda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 730 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Esmerelda 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 469,526 US residents.
Is Esmerelda a common name?
We classify Esmerelda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 749 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Esmerelda most popular?
The single biggest year for Esmerelda was 2021, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Esmerelda is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Esmerelda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Esmerelda 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.