Essiel
A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "of God, God's companion".
Name Census estimates that about 15 living Americans carry the first name Essiel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Essiel today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Essiel births was 2024 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Essiel. 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 Essiel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
15
~ 1 in 22,850,289 Americans
Peak year
2024
8 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,225
Tracked since 2023
Popularity
Essiel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Essiel 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 Essiel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 15 | 0 | 15 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Essiel
The given name Essiel is an ancient and enigmatic name with origins shrouded in mystery. Its roots can be traced back to the Semitic languages of the ancient Middle East, where it may have derived from the Aramaic word "Issi-El," meaning "God is salvation" or "God's deliverance."
The earliest known record of the name Essiel comes from ancient cuneiform tablets discovered in the ruins of Mesopotamia, dating back to around 2000 BCE. These tablets contain lists of personal names, suggesting that Essiel was in use among the Babylonians and other ancient civilizations of the region.
Interestingly, a name strikingly similar to Essiel appears in the Hebrew Bible, where it is written as "Ishvi-El." This name is mentioned in the Book of Genesis as one of the descendants of the patriarch Abraham. While the spelling differs slightly, the similarity in sound and meaning suggests a potential connection between the two names.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Essiel. One of the earliest recorded figures was Essiel the Scribe, a scholar and chronicler who lived in ancient Egypt during the reign of Ramesses II, circa 1279-1213 BCE. His writings documented the pharaoh's military campaigns and the daily life of the Egyptian court.
In the 5th century CE, Essiel of Antioch was a prominent Christian theologian and philosopher. He authored several influential treatises on the nature of God and the interpretation of Scripture, and his works played a significant role in shaping early Christian doctrine.
During the Islamic Golden Age, Essiel ibn al-Haytham, born in 965 CE, was a renowned mathematician, astronomer, and physicist. He made groundbreaking contributions to the fields of optics and the scientific method, and his writings influenced scholars across the Muslim world and beyond.
In the 12th century, Essiel de Montfort was a French nobleman and crusader who participated in the Third Crusade. He was known for his bravery and military prowess, and his exploits were chronicled in various accounts of the Crusades.
Lastly, Essiel Whitehead, born in 1865, was a pioneering American educator and social reformer. She dedicated her life to improving educational opportunities for underprivileged children and advocating for racial equality. Her tireless efforts earned her widespread recognition and numerous accolades during her lifetime.
These examples illustrate the rich and diverse history of the name Essiel, which has been borne by individuals from various cultures, time periods, and walks of life. While its origins remain elusive, the name continues to captivate and intrigue those who encounter it, serving as a testament to the enduring power of names and their ability to transcend time and borders.
People
Essiel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Essiel 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
Essiel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Essiel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Essiel 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 22,850,289 US residents.
Is Essiel a common name?
We classify Essiel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 35.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Essiel most popular?
The single biggest year for Essiel was 2024, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Essiel is about 3 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Essiel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Essiel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Essiel 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.
Is Essiel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Essiel in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Essiel can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Essiel?
Find out how many people share the name Essiel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.