Essense
A feminine name derived from the word "essence," signifying the embodiment of fundamental nature.
Name Census estimates that about 80 living Americans carry the first name Essense. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Essense today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Essense births was 1995 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Essense. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Essense. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
80
~ 1 in 4,284,429 Americans
Peak year
1995
9 babies that year
Average age
25
years old
2010 SSA rank
#15,577
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Essense: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Essense from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 43 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Essense 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 Essense during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Essense
The name Essense is believed to originate from the Latin word "essentia," which means "being" or "essence." It is thought to have emerged during the Middle Ages, a period spanning from the 5th to the 15th century.
Essense was likely first used as a name in regions where Latin was widely spoken, such as Italy, France, and parts of the Iberian Peninsula. It may have been initially adopted as a name to signify the essence or fundamental nature of an individual.
While the name Essense does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that it was inspired by philosophical or metaphysical concepts related to the nature of existence and being.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Essense can be found in the records of a French philosopher and theologian named Essense de Chateauneuf, who lived in the late 13th century. Another notable bearer of the name was Essense Rousseau, a French painter and artist who lived during the 16th century.
In the realm of literature, Essense Montaigne, a 17th-century French essayist and philosopher, gained prominence for his influential work on skepticism and humanism. Essense Descartes, a renowned French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist from the same era, is also remembered for his contributions to the development of modern philosophy and the Cartesian coordinate system.
Moving forward in history, Essense Voltaire, a French Enlightenment writer and philosopher, was a prominent figure in the 18th century, known for his works that advocated for freedom of religion and expression, as well as his criticism of the established institutions of his time.
While not an exhaustive list, these individuals serve as notable examples of the use of the name Essense throughout history, reflecting its association with philosophical and intellectual pursuits, as well as its enduring presence across various eras and cultural contexts.
People
Essense + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Essense 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
Essense: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Essense?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 80 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Essense 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 4,284,429 US residents.
Is Essense a common name?
We classify Essense as "Very Rare". It ranks above 61.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 82 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Essense most popular?
The single biggest year for Essense was 1995, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Essense is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Essense a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Essense 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.