The baby name Esme stepped off the bookshelf and on to parents’ shortlists in the 21st century.
Thanks to Natalie for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME ESME MEAN?
Esme first surfaces as a masculine name in sixteenth century Scotland, derived from the Old French word esmer – to respect or admire.
The French and Scots maintained a close diplomatic relationship for centuries, from the 1200s into the sixteenth century, so French names aren’t all that foreign in Scotland.
The first notable bearer was a Scottish nobleman, an advisor to JamesIV. Strictly speaking, Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox was a Catholic French nobleman of Scottish descent. He moved to Scotland in his 30s to serve King James IV, who later also reigned as James I of Englad.
Though he lost his position in political turmoil, his descendants held the title Duke of Lennoxfor generations, and several were also called Esme. They favored other distinctive names, like Ludovic, over the years. And the family popularized Esme in the English-speaking world – at least a bit.
The named remained masculine – and quite rare – into the 1800s. Esme wasn’t any more common during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but Esme definitely switched columns from masculine to feminine given names by mid-century.
JD SALINGER
In 1950 JD Salinger’s short story For Esmé With Love and Squalor appeared in The New Yorker.
His Esmé was an orphan, a young woman of extraordinary poise beyond her years. The story remains among the most popular of Salinger’s works. A few years later, William Gaddis used the name for a character in his debut novel, The Recognitions.
The name was nearly unknown in the United States at that point.
SPELLING, PRONUNCIATION AND OTHER PATHS TO ESME
JD Salinger occupies a very specific place in the American canon. It’s easy to imagine parents discovering the name.
Esme dropped the accent, though it’s still pronounced ez may.
Or not. It’s possible in our Zoe/Chloe/Penelope era to meet an ez mee.
To clarify, spellings like Esmae and Esmee have emerged.
In addition, Esme could be short for the elaborate Esmeralda, the Spanish word for emerald. It’s a literary name, too, borrowed from Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
1990s RISE
The baby name Esme has been quietly catching on since the 1990s.
Celebrities including Anthony Edwards, Katey Sagal, and Michael J. Fox all gave the name to daughters who are adults now.
After all, the 1990s were peak Emily, with Emma rising fast.
ESME IN TWILIGHT
And then came Twilight.
For all that author StephenieMeyer is sometimes credited with boosting names like Bellaand Jacob, it really isn’t so. They were already chart-topping favorites when Twilight debuted in 2005.
In 2008, fourth novel Breaking Dawn was published and the movie version of Twilight premiered.
Along the way, other character names from the series did gain in use. Chief among them: Esme.
Esme Cullen was the mother figure for the unconventional vampire family. Census records do confirm that a handful of women were named Esme in the late 1800s, which tracks with the character’s story. But it isn’t a very likely choice. Instead, Meyer was almost certainly picking up on 21st century name trends – and creating one, too.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME ESME?
The baby name Esme’s popularity spiked as Twilight became a 21st century sensation.
In 2005, 68 girls were named Esme. By 2008, that number was 154.
In 2010, the baby name Esme debuted in the US Top 1000 at #927.
Some might argue that the vampire romance hurt the name, but the numbers suggest otherwise. Esme peaked at #303 in 2022.
As of 2024, the baby name Esme ranked #344 in the US.
Esme, Esmae, and Esmee are all in the England and Wales Top 1000.
As for other spellings in the US:
- 97 girls were named Esmae
- Another 19 were named Esmay
- Esmee was given to 41 girls
- 41 more were called Ezmae
- Another 10 answer to Ezmay
- 31 were named Ezme
Some of those spellings, like Esmae and Ezmay, seemed designed to simplify pronunciation. Or maybe parents of Esmaes want to build in nickname options, like Essie and Mae.
This name has gone from obscure and literary to a well-established mainstream choice.
LITERARY AND LOVELY
Overall, the baby name Esme remains stylish. Twilight made it familiar, but as that series passes out of the pop culture spotlight, it’s easier to maintain that you’re thinking Salinger when you choose this one for your daughter.
It’s a stylish standout, the right mix of distinctive and familiar.
What do you think of the baby name Esme?
This post was originally published on May 23, 2008. Revisions followed on October 22, 2012 and December 10, 2025.
Is there a name out there other than Esmerelda that Esme can be an abbreviation of
Hmmm … let me ask the community, Ever hopeful … nothing comes to mind.
I like Esmarie, which could shorten to Esme.
To me Esme is hipster rather than vampiric.
I remember a long time ago reading a short story by Saki, in which a woman semi-adopts a dog (?) and calls it Esme – because it is equally suitable for either a male or female. I think the story was written in the early 20th century. No note on pronunciation, alas!
I notice a lot of people writing Esm – did something get cut off by the new blogging platform???
My first encounter with the name Esme was on a professor’s dog! I wonder if she was inspired by the short story? She pronounced the dog’s name ess-may, which is how it’s generally pronounced in Canada, I suppose due to our French influence.
It seems unlikely because (not trying to give away too many spoilers) Esme wasn’t exactly a dog, and his or her behaviour wasn’t socially acceptable! Saki had a very dark sense of humour. I suppose it might have been the inspiration though.
I am vaguely familiar with the ultimate outcome of the story, although I’ve not actually read it (I find I have to be in a very particular mood to read short stories — they’re so often dark!). I used the word *inspiration* somewhat advisedly. I doubt it was an actual homage. However, I can’t really see this particular professor being unfamiliar with the tale since she was quite widely read and specialised in British Lit.
But you’re right, she probably just liked the name on a dog 🙂
It seems implausible that an English Lit professor wouldn’t have read “Esme”, which is a widely-known story by a classic English writer.
Maybe your professor has a dark sense of humour too! Or yeah, just liked the idea of a dog named Esme.
I like Esmée but hesitate about Esme. A long-running Australian drama series (“A Country Practice” which was set in a rural town) had a character called Miss [Esme] Watson, a frumpy whingy woman, and I can’t dissociate the name from her. The only pronunciation for me is EZ-may. That’s how Miss Watson’s name was pronounced, btw.
This how I see this name:
Esme (no accent, pronounced [ez-mee] or [ez-may – faux French pronunciation]) : short form of Esmeralda that works fine on its own, like Jack or Elle.
Esmé (pronounced [ez-MÉ]): Scottish/French masculine name, the feminine form being Esmée.
If you’re going with the French accent, follow French grammar, people! It’s a basic rule: -é is masculine, -ée is feminine – like René/Renée, Aimé/Aimée, Edmé/Edmée. Sorry, but taking names from other languages and misuse them is huge a pet peeve of mine :/
That being said, I find Esme cute and Esmée very elegant and romantic.
I just realised that jasper is also a charactor in twilight books, damn two favourites ruined 🙁
I love the name so much, didn’t realise it was in vampire books though 🙁
I have recently fallen in love with the name Esme! I especially like Genevieve or Juliette for middle names.
I know the blog was posted in 08, and Esme just entered the top 1000 names ss list in the states in 10 – so I really don’t think it will ever be a common name. More common, maybe, but I doubt it will fall into the top 250 in the US.
Good choice with possibly some future pronounciation corrections – but I love it as EZ-may :). Sweet for a child and classy for an adult.
I don’t mind Esmae, and I think it does sidestep the problem of pronunciation rather neatly. The question is whether Esme will eventually be so popular that your daughter doesn’t appreciate having a different spelling of her name. BUT should that come to pass, chances are we’ll see Ezmi and Esmie and Esmee, so she’ll have to spell it anyway. The more I think about it, the more I like it!