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.
- #1,577 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #298 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 10,920
- born since 1913
- 2020s
- peak decade
Yes -- Esme is the #298 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 #298 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.
- #1,577 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #298 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 10,920 born since 1913
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Esme ranks #1,577 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #298 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 10,920 born since 1913, peaking in the 2020s.
- #1,577 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #298 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 10,920
- born since 1913
- 2020s
- peak decade
Esme's 10,920 recorded births place it above 97.81% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
50 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Esme compares
10,920 Top 9% higher than 91% of 17,297 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 (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 10,920 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,053 | 21 | 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 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
2020s is the heaviest window (5,559 births, 51% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Esme sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Esme most popular? ▼
Where is Esme most popular? ▼
How long has the name Esme been used? ▼
What names are similar to Esme? ▼
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
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
Compare Esme side by side: Esme vs Esmeralda Esme vs Esmae Esme vs Esma
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Esme
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Esme: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2022)
Similar record span (~112 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.