2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Esmonde
A Huguenot surname possibly derived from "Esmond", a Norman French place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Esmonde. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Esmonde surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Esmonde in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Esmonde, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Esmonde
The surname Esmonde is of Norman-French origin and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy, France, where it was derived from the Old French words "esmonder" or "esmonder," meaning "to prune" or "to trim." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for a person who worked as a pruner or trimmer of trees or vines.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Esmonde can be found in medieval records and documents. One notable mention is in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror to record the landholdings and properties of England. The name appears as "Esmunde," likely referring to an individual or family with this surname.
During the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century, many Norman families, including those bearing the name Esmonde, settled in various parts of Britain. The name can be found in various historical records and documents from this period, such as the Pipe Rolls and the Hundred Rolls.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Esmonde was Sir Thomas Esmonde, who lived in the late 13th century and was a prominent landowner in County Wexford, Ireland. Another notable figure was Sir Robert Esmonde (born around 1460), who served as Lord Justice of Ireland in the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, Sir John Esmonde (1516-1585) was a notable Irish politician and military leader who played a significant role in the Desmond Rebellions against the English crown. His grandson, Sir Thomas Esmonde (1569-1646), was a member of the Irish Parliament and served as a judge.
During the 17th century, Sir Laurence Esmonde (1610-1688) was an Irish baronet and a prominent supporter of the Catholic Confederacy during the Irish Confederate Wars. His son, Sir Thomas Esmonde (1650-1719), was an Irish Jacobite and a member of the Irish Parliament.
Over the centuries, the surname Esmonde has been associated with various noble and influential families, particularly in Ireland and England. While the spelling may have varied slightly over time, with variations such as Esmond, Esmunde, and Esmonde, the name has retained its distinct identity and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Esmonde
Among Census respondents with the surname Esmonde, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Esmonde bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Esmonde surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Esmonde
Esmonde appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,012 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+11 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,499 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 14,012 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 9,499 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Esmonde surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #153,769 | #144,270 | 6.2% |
| Count | 106 | 117 | 10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Esmonde bearers went from 106 to 117 (+10.4% change). The surname moved up 9,499 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #144,270.
FAQ
Esmonde surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Esmonde?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Esmonde. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Esmonde?
Esmonde ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Esmonde. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Esmonde.
Has Esmonde become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Esmonde went from 106 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 11 (+10.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Esmonde?
Among Census respondents with the surname Esmonde, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Esmonde in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Esmonde appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Hispanic (2.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Esmonde (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Esmonde mean?
A Huguenot surname possibly derived from "Esmond", a Norman French place name. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Esmonde (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Esmonde?
Find out how many people have the surname Esmonde on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.