Girls' name · since 1973
Essence
Since 1973, U.S. Social Security records show 10,744 babies named Essence, peaking in 1998. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,589 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,166 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 10,744
- born since 1973
- 1990s
- peak decade
Essence currently ranks #1166 among girls' names in America, with 10,744 babies recorded since 1973.
Social Security Administration records show Essence recorded 10,744 times among girls since 1973, holding rank #1166 nationally today, ahead of 93% of girls, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1973 to 2025.
- #1,589 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,166 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 10,744 born since 1973
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Essence ranks #1,589 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,166 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 10,744 born since 1973, peaking in the 1990s.
- #1,589 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,166 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 10,744
- born since 1973
- 1990s
- peak decade
Essence's 10,744 recorded births place it above 97.8% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
34 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Essence compares
10,744 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
Essence's all-time total is 29x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Essence | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 10,744 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 565 | 21 | 19,840 |
Essence's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Essence's SSA record in two at 1999 and the more recent half accounts for 63% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 37%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1973, with only 8 births recorded -- set against the 1998 peak of 565, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Essence popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1973–2025
- Peak year (1998)
- 565
- Annual births at peak, across 53 years of records
Essence popularity over time - boys
17 total births recorded since 2021 (Essence as boys' name)
Essence by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (3,531 births, 33% of the file).
1990s was Essence's strongest decade.
3,531 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Essence births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 182
1970s
182 births
- 1980s 816
1980s
816 births
- 1990s
1990s
3,531 births
- 2000s
2000s
3,095 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,852 births
- 2020s 1,268
2020s
1,268 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 3,531 births (33% of all-time use).
How Essence 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 Essence's total volume
Essence by state
Where Essence concentrates geographically, total births since 1973
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 979 | 9.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 717 | 6.7% |
| #3 | California | | 701 | 6.5% |
| #4 | Florida | | 583 | 5.4% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 581 | 5.4% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 545 | 5.1% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 472 | 4.4% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 399 | 3.7% |
979 of 10,744 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 34 reporting states.
Essence appears in 34 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Essence's data
- Essence's usage has stayed within range of its 1990s decade-level peak (3,531 total births) through the 2020s (1,268) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Essences (979 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Essence
Nearby Names Like Essence
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Essence
Compare Essence side by side: Essence vs Essie Essence vs Essynce Essence vs Essa
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Essence
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Essence: 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 (~52 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, 1973–2025 (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 Essence 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.