Girls' name · since 1911
Esmeralda
Since 1911, U.S. Social Security records show 51,571 babies named Esmeralda, peaking in 1998. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #575 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #373 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 51,571
- born since 1911
- 2000s
- peak decade
Yes -- Esmeralda is the #373 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 51,571 recorded since 1911.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Esmeralda has been recorded 51,571 times among girls since 1911, currently ranked #373 nationally and more common than 98% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 2000s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1911 to 2025.
- #575 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #373 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 51,571 born since 1911
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Esmeralda ranks #575 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #373 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 51,571 born since 1911, peaking in the 2000s.
- #575 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #373 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 51,571
- born since 1911
- 2000s
- peak decade
Esmeralda's 51,571 recorded births place it above 99.2% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
42 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Esmeralda compares
51,571 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Esmeralda's all-time total is 137x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Esmeralda | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 51,571 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 2,477 | 21 | 19,840 |
Esmeralda's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Esmeralda splits its recorded history at 1971: 93% of all births land in the more recent half, 7% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1911 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1998 peak of 2,477 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Esmeralda popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1911–2025
- Peak year (1998)
- 2,477
- Annual births at peak, across 115 years of records
Esmeralda popularity over time - boys
180 total births recorded since 1973 (Esmeralda as boys' name)
Esmeralda by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (15,479 births, 30% of the file).
2000s was Esmeralda's strongest decade.
15,479 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 30% of all-time use.
Esmeralda births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 28
1910s
28 births
- 1920s 97
1920s
97 births
- 1930s 112
1930s
112 births
- 1940s 336
1940s
336 births
- 1950s 1,092
1950s
1,092 births
- 1960s 1,615
1960s
1,615 births
- 1970s 3,898
1970s
3,898 births
- 1980s 4,783
1980s
4,783 births
- 1990s
1990s
10,288 births
- 2000s
2000s
15,479 births
- 2010s
2010s
8,879 births
- 2020s 4,964
2020s
4,964 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 15,479 births (30% of all-time use).
How Esmeralda 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 Esmeralda's total volume
Esmeralda by state
Where Esmeralda concentrates geographically, total births since 1911
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 17,506 | 33.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 12,927 | 25.1% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 2,802 | 5.4% |
| #4 | Arizona | | 1,943 | 3.8% |
| #5 | Florida | | 1,724 | 3.3% |
| #6 | New York | | 1,443 | 2.8% |
| #7 | Washington | | 1,102 | 2.1% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 826 | 1.6% |
17,506 of 51,571 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 42 reporting states.
Esmeralda appears in 42 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Esmeralda? ▼
Where does Esmeralda sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Esmeralda most popular? ▼
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What to do with Esmeralda's data
- Esmeralda's decade-level peak was the 2000s (15,479 total births); usage has since declined to 4,964 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Esmeraldas (17,506 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 Esmeralda
Nearby Names Like Esmeralda
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Esmeralda
Compare Esmeralda side by side: Esmeralda vs Esme Esmeralda vs Esmae Esmeralda vs Esma
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Esmeralda
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Esmeralda: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1998)
Similar record span (~114 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, 1911–2025 (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 Esmeralda 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.