Esme

What Esme means

Diminutive of Esmeralda, meaning “emerald”

diminutive of the female given name Esmeralda || From Spanish esmeralda (“emerald”), as first used in the novel Notre-Dame de Paris (1831) by Victor Hugo.

Source: Wiktionary, “Esme” (revision 92749048) and “Esmeralda” (revision 92643682), CC BY-SA 4.0. Quoted from the etymology; we don’t write our own.

How popular is Esme?

US: Rising: up from #680 in 2015. England & Wales: Falling: down from #38 in 2015.

Biggest US share so far: 2025, when 1,032 girls got the name (#298 that year). First in the US records in 1913.

How common

• About 1 in 1,557 baby girls in the US in 2025
• About 1 in 271 baby girls in England and Wales in 2025
• About 1 in 183 baby girls in Scotland in 2025

“1 in N” divides by all listed births for that sex. The US list leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies, and the UK lists leave out names given to 2 or fewer, so the real figure is a little rarer than shown.

Where in the US

Most popular in RI (3.67 per 1,000 girls), DC (2.97 per 1,000 girls), HI (2.33 per 1,000 girls) in 2025.

SSA state data, 2025. Share of all listed girls born in each state.

US vs UK

Esme is #298 in the US and #45 in England & Wales (2025).

Same sex as this page (girls). SSA (US), ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland).

Boy or girl?

In 2025, 99.9+% of US babies named Esme were girls.

Counts below the publishing threshold (US 5, UK 3) are not included.

Other spellings

Other spellings parents chose in 2025

• Ezme25 US · 10 E&W

Names that sound the same and differ by a letter or two, with baby counts for the same sex. US and E&W counts.

If you like Esme

Girls

• Josephine#53Feminine form of Joseph, meaning “(God) shall add”^*
• Juliette#110Editor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #227 in 2015, #110 in 2025
• Lucille#237Editor’s note Peaked in the US in 1920, with 7,989 babies; 1,314 in 2025
• Eloise#49Editor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #254 in 2015, #49 in 2025. 6 letters, starting with a vowel
• Genevieve#148possibly “kin, family + woman, wife”^*
• Sylvie#282Editor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #1,175 in 2015, #282 in 2025

For a brother

• Augustine#545Same root as Austin, meaning “majestic”^*
• Julien#709Editor’s note More popular in the US than England & Wales: #709 vs #3,256 in 2025
• Noel#478French, meaning “birthday of the Lord”^*
• Joan#984“God is gracious”^*
• Bo#449Swedish, from Old Norse Búi, meaning “dweller, long-time resident”^*
• Avery#291Editor’s note Down from #188 in 2015 to #291 in 2025 in the US

Picked from the US top 1,000 in 2025: names Wiktionary also files under French, whose US popularity since 1990 rose and fell most like Esme’s. Rank is US 2025.