Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2025

Esa

Gender Unisex · 14% girls Rank 2025 #2,546 Trend ↑ Rising 24%
Rank 2025
#2,546
among boys · ↑426 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
59
named Esa · +18% vs 2024
How common
1 in 32,848
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
59 babies
All-time total
768
#6,692 all-time among boys
First recorded
1967
in Social Security records

Esa popularity over time

768 babies have been named Esa since 1967, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.010.020.030.0418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s 11 – 11 1 – –
1970s 7 – 7 1 -36% –
1980s 5 7 12 1 +71% #6,434
1990s – 20 20 2 +67% #6,577
2000s 10 87 97 10 +385% #6,372
2010s 32 272 304 30 +213% #3,009
2020s (to 2025) 44 273 317 53 +74% #2,546

Where Esa is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 54 0.03 outside top 500
2027 56 0.03 outside top 500
2028 57 0.03 outside top 500
2029 59 0.03 outside top 500
2030 60 0.04 outside top 500

The story of Esa

Esa is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,546 in 2025 with 52 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1967, 768 American babies have been named Esa, about 86% boys and 14% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2025, when 59 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Esa stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Esa?

The median living Esa is about 7 years old; half are between 3 and 13. An estimated 800 people named Esa are alive in the United States today.

median 7 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Esa year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 7 #12,299 52 #2,546
2024 8 #11,421 42 #2,972
2023 7 #12,544 51 #2,590
2022 8 #11,534 34 #3,429
2021 8 #11,438 48 #2,665
2020 6 #13,970 46 #2,701
2019 8 #11,691 40 #3,009
2018 6 #14,352 34 #3,318
2017 – – 33 #3,401
2016 5 #17,065 37 #3,126
2015 – – 21 #4,594
2014 6 #15,179 29 #3,642
2013 – – 28 #3,688
2012 7 #13,947 18 #5,101
2011 – – 13 #6,348
2010 – – 19 #4,896
2009 – – 13 #6,548
2008 – – 10 #7,873
2007 – – 13 #6,372
2006 5 #18,014 9 #8,208
2005 – – 11 #6,776
2004 – – – –
2003 – – 8 #8,071
2002 5 #16,256 6 #9,750
2001 – – 8 #7,767
2000 – – 9 #7,007
1995 – – 8 #6,577
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 – – – –
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Esa

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Esa Tikkanen Esa Tikkanen Finnish ice hockey player (b. 1965) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Esa, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Esa?

The median living Esa is about 7 years old. Half of all living Esas are between 3 and 13 years old.

How many people named Esa are alive today?

An estimated 800 people named Esa are alive in the United States, based on 768 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Esa in 2025?

Esa ranked #2,546 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 52 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Esa?

768 babies have been named Esa in the United States since 1967, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Esa most popular?

Esa peaked in 2025, when 59 newborns received the name.

Is Esa a boy or girl name?

Esa is used for both: about 14% of babies named Esa have been girls and 86% boys.

Is the name Esa rising or falling?

Esa is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Esa become more popular?

Esa is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 60 boys named Esa in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Esa?

Well-known people named Esa include Esa Tikkanen (hockey player).

Names like Esa

Names that sound and feel close to Esa: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Esa with similar names → More names starting with E →