Total births
39,682
Girls' name · since 1880
Essie
39,682 babies named Essie in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1921. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2722
- among girls today
- 39,682
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Essie is the #2722 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 39,682 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Essie recorded 39,682 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #2722 nationally today, ahead of 85% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2722 among girls today
- 39,682 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 85% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Essie is currently the #2722 girls' name in America, more common than 85% of girls - 39,682 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #2722
- among girls today
- 39,682
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other girls
Essie vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2722
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 85% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
23% of everyone ever named Essie was born in this single decade.
1921
Single peak year
1,032 babies were named Essie in 1921 - its busiest year on record.
How Essie compares
39,682 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Essie's all-time total is 104x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Essie | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 39,682 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,032 | 48 | 19,840 |
Essie's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Essie splits its recorded history at 1952: 10% of all births land in the more recent half, 90% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 2007 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1921 peak of 1,032 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Essie at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1921
Current rank
#2,722
Active since
1880
Essie popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 1,032
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Essie popularity over time - boys
1,212 total births recorded since 1881 (Essie as boys' name)
Essie by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Essie's strongest decade.
8,967 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Essie births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,554
1880s
1,554 births
- 1890s 3,059
1890s
3,059 births
- 1900s
1900s
4,467 births
- 1910s
1910s
7,999 births
- 1920s
1920s
8,967 births
- 1930s
1930s
5,355 births
- 1940s
1940s
3,696 births
- 1950s 2,274
1950s
2,274 births
- 1960s 892
1960s
892 births
- 1970s 355
1970s
355 births
- 1980s 231
1980s
231 births
- 1990s 151
1990s
151 births
- 2000s 84
2000s
84 births
- 2010s 310
2010s
310 births
- 2020s 288
2020s
288 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 8,967 births (23% of all-time use).
How Essie 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 Essie's total volume
Essie vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Essie by state
Where Essie concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Georgia | | 4,470 | 11.3% |
| #2 | Alabama | | 3,399 | 8.6% |
| #3 | Mississippi | | 3,365 | 8.5% |
| #4 | South Carolina | | 2,635 | 6.6% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 2,516 | 6.3% |
| #6 | Texas | | 2,007 | 5.1% |
| #7 | Louisiana | | 1,701 | 4.3% |
| #8 | Arkansas | | 1,626 | 4.1% |
Georgia share of Essie's total US births 11.3%
Even split
4,470 of 39,682 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 28 reporting states.
Essie appears in 28 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Essie? ▼
39,682 babies have been named Essie since 1880. It currently ranks #2722 among girls. The peak year was 1921 with 1,032 births.
When was Essie most popular? ▼
Essie was most popular in the 1920s decade with 8,967 total births. The single peak year was 1921.
Where is Essie most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Essie are Georgia (4,470 births), Alabama (3,399 births), Mississippi (3,365 births).
How long has the name Essie been used? ▼
Records for Essie go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Essie? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Essence, Essynce, Essa, Essica, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Essie's data
- Essie's decade-level peak was the 1920s (8,967 total births); usage has since declined to 288 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Georgia records the most Essies (4,470 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Georgia 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 Essie
Nearby Names Like Essie
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Essie
Essence Girl
#1085 10,744 births
Essynce Girl
#10674 280 births
Essa Girl
#12186 226 births
Essica Girl
189 births
Essance Girl
170 births
Compare Essie side by side: Essie vs Essence Essie vs Essynce Essie vs Essa
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Essie
Azhani #2721
175 births · Peak 2025
Susannah #2723
7,784 births · Peak 1975
Suttyn #2720
361 births · Peak 2024
Francisca #2724
12,582 births · Peak 1928
Everlie #2719
873 births · Peak 2021
Lynette #2725
43,392 births · Peak 1965
Elaia #2718
309 births · Peak 2024
Kathlyn #2726
5,156 births · Peak 1951
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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Essie: #2722 Girls' Name - 39,682 Births, Peak 1921." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/essie. 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 Essie 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.