Total births
10,920
Girls' name · since 1913
Esme
Since 1913, U.S. Social Security records show 10,920 babies named Esme, peaking in 2022. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #343
- among girls today
- 10,920
- born since 1913
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Esme is the #343 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 10,920 recorded since 1913.
Social Security Administration records show Esme recorded 10,920 times among girls since 1913, holding rank #343 nationally today, ahead of 98% of girls, peaking in the 2020s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1913 to 2025.
- #343 among girls today
- 10,920 born since 1913
- 2020s peak decade
- 98% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Esme is currently the #343 girls' name in America, more common than 98% of girls - 10,920 born since 1913, peaking in the 2020s.
- #343
- among girls today
- 10,920
- born since 1913
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Esme vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#343
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 98% of names given to girls today.
2020s
Peak decade
51% of everyone ever named Esme was born in this single decade.
2022
Single peak year
1,053 babies were named Esme in 2022 - its busiest year on record.
How Esme compares
10,920 Top 8% higher than 92% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Esme's all-time total is 29x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Esme | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 10,920 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,053 | 48 | 19,840 |
Esme's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Esme splits its recorded history at 1999: 98% of all births land in the more recent half, 2% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1913 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2022 peak of 1,053 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Esme at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
2022
Current rank
#343
Active since
1913
Esme popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1913–2025
- Peak year (2022)
- 1,053
- Annual births at peak, across 113 years of records
Esme popularity over time - boys
10 total births recorded since 2016 (Esme as boys' name)
Esme by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2020s was Esme's strongest decade.
5,559 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 51% of all-time use.
Esme births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 5
1910s
5 births
- 1930s 5
1930s
5 births
- 1950s 5
1950s
5 births
- 1960s 5
1960s
5 births
- 1970s 17
1970s
17 births
- 1980s 75
1980s
75 births
- 1990s 189
1990s
189 births
- 2000s 968
2000s
968 births
- 2010s
2010s
4,092 births
- 2020s
2020s
5,559 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 5,559 births (51% of all-time use).
How Esme compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Esme's total volume
Esme vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Esme by state
Where Esme concentrates geographically, total births since 1913
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,424 | 13.0% |
| #2 | New York | | 862 | 7.9% |
| #3 | Texas | | 667 | 6.1% |
| #4 | Minnesota | | 447 | 4.1% |
| #5 | Florida | | 425 | 3.9% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 377 | 3.5% |
| #7 | Washington | | 373 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 367 | 3.4% |
California share of Esme's total US births 13.0%
Even split
1,424 of 10,920 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Esme appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Esme? ▼
Since 1913, Social Security records show 10,920 babies named Esme. Today it holds rank #343 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2022, with 1,053 births.
When was Esme most popular? ▼
Esme was most popular in the 2020s decade with 5,559 total births. The single peak year was 2022.
Where is Esme most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Esme are California (1,424 births), New York (862 births), Texas (667 births).
How long has the name Esme been used? ▼
Esme has been recorded in Social Security data since 1913, spanning 113 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Esme? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Esmeralda, Esmae, Esma, Esmee, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Esme's data
- California records the most Esmes (1,424 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Esme
Nearby Names Like Esme
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Esme
Esmeralda Girl
#350 51,571 births
Esmae Girl
#2009 1,527 births
Esma Girl
#3972 915 births
Esmee Girl
#3678 860 births
Esmerelda Girl
#4232 776 births
Compare Esme side by side: Esme vs Esmeralda Esme vs Esmae Esme vs Esma
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Esme
Regina #342
184,272 births · Peak 1962
Ariyah #344
11,120 births · Peak 2023
Adelina #341
16,762 births · Peak 2025
Heidi #345
149,326 births · Peak 1972
Rebecca #340
755,992 births · Peak 1981
Aisha #346
26,933 births · Peak 1977
Kalani #339
10,278 births · Peak 2021
Julieta #347
11,689 births · Peak 2025
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1913–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Esme: #343 Girls' Name - 10,920 Births, Peak 2022." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/esme. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Esme draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.