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.
Honestly i keep saying the name over and over in my head….Es-may, Ez-mee, Es-mee…and i still don’t get the sudden facination over it. i just DO NOT like the way it sounds. No offense of course. It’s just one of those names that might be a bit too…progressive for a southern belle like myself.
😛
My baby girl is called Esmee. We actually pronounce it Es-mee simply because the first Esmee we came across also did that and there fore it feels most “right”. We dont use the accent simply to save her a life time of trying to get it jotted down everywhere.I agree with ParisTexas :americans don’t get it at all, at least not to start with, while in England the reaction was more of “what a lovely and traditional name !” I simply love the name because it sounds sweet and it suits whatever age you are. A little funny detail is that our other daughter is called Autumn, a name that americans get but is still slightly different” for english people..(totally opposite from Esmee!)It does seem to be more common now though and I guess it will get a little “boost now when theres an Autumn in the royal family…
My French husband and I — an American in Paris — named our daughter Esm
I named my daughter Esme, pronounced Es-mee. It’s perfect for her, and we love the name!
my daughter is pronounced es mee as well – don’t like people pronouncing it es may! such a beautiful name an just seems to suits my wee girls quiet subtle, placid endearing nature 🙂 x
Funny how we can love a name, but know that it’s not for us. As someone who grew up with a nickname-proof name (and a very common one, too) I’m not inclined to use something as simple as Esme – though I love it. Should my husband ever set up the aquarium he keeps threatening, I’ll probably use it for a fish. 😉
I think it is mean of u to say you would call your fish esme.. silly. I am offended by it as my beautiful little girl is called esme an looks nothing like a fish :/
I love names with a simple, breezy yet distinctive style and Esme certainly fits that bill, it gets extra bonus points too for being relatively unusual and little used too. I’ve only ever met one of Kindergarten age. She was a creative and quietly spirited little girl who suited her name perfectly. However and this is the crux, I just can’t quite picture myself using the name Esme. In short, Esme is a name that I would love to love but for some reason or another it remains consigned to my ‘extended’ list…
That’s such a good point – the accent does not officially exist in American English, and you’re absolutely right that it can be a headache.
The only Esme that I know is not quite kindergarten aged, but her parents don’t use the accent at all. No one mangles her name. ni KAY would be a burden, indeed!
Esme is so cute! It sounds very sophisticated and sweet, but appropriate for an adult. I like it best without the accent, because one of my friends was named Nik
I named my daughter Esme… it is so beautiful an just suits her to a tee 🙂 … she is so petite an cute big brown eyes and fair curly hair – couldn’t imagine calling her anything else an glad I didn’t… she is now 9 years old an loves her name which is a relief!! I hope it doesn’t become popular she I live anyhow lol – though a wee girl in the next street is called esme an she is 7…. her parents sooooo copied me :/ haha x
It is tricky, because the derivation is not from the French we know and love, but from the Norman French that came to Scotland in the 12th century by way of England.
The Normans didn’t invade Scotland. Instead, King David I, ruler of Scotland from 1124 to 1153, introduced Norman-style administrative reforms, founded monasteries and made land grants to a number of French/Anglo-French knights. He himself was born in Scotland, but spent his formative years in England – which, of course, had been invaded back in 1066. The outcome is that David was a Norman by preference, style and habit, if not by birth.
So one can only assume that the French that gave us Esme had its peculiarities. It also stands to reason that it was fashionable, especially among the Southern Scots where the language held on longer.
Esme was never common in Scotland, either – even among families of Norman descent. Most of the common names were recognizable to our ears, even if they have quirky spellings – one study of 13/14th century names found 13 men called William, with ten variant spellings, including Villiame and Williame. Shades of modern baby naming!
So while the name’s early appearance as the given name of Esme Stewart, born in 1542 and eventually the Duke of Lennox, is clear in the historical record, the matter of the language that gave us his name is murky indeed.
Still, if one is eager for a meaning, it’s a defensible definition – if not an entirely satisfactory backstory. 🙂
Esm