Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2019

Esma

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #5,293 Trend ↑ Rising 12%
Rank 2025
#5,293
among girls · ↓1,304 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
24
named Esma · -35% vs 2024
How common
1 in 66,969
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2019
39 babies
All-time total
915
#7,990 all-time among girls
First recorded
1890
in Social Security records

Esma popularity over time

915 babies have been named Esma since 1890, 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
0.010.030.040.0518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1890Girls

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 Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s 34 3 – #1,030
1900s 59 6 +74% #1,088
1910s 122 12 +107% #1,646
1920s 131 13 +7% #1,959
1930s 33 3 -75% #3,515
1940s 7 1 -79% #3,680
1950s – – – –
1960s – – – –
1970s 6 1 – #7,712
1980s – – – –
1990s 18 2 – #12,256
2000s 93 9 +417% #6,883
2010s 237 24 +155% #3,812
2020s (to 2025) 175 29 +23% #3,989

Where Esma is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 24 0.02 outside top 500
2027 25 0.02 outside top 500
2028 25 0.02 outside top 500
2029 26 0.02 outside top 500
2030 26 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Esma

Esma is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #5,293 in 2025 with 24 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1890, 915 American babies have been named Esma. Its peak came in 2019, when 39 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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 Esma stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Esma?

The median living Esma is about 9 years old; half are between 4 and 15. An estimated 500 people named Esma are alive in the United States today.

median 9 020406080100

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

Esma year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 24 #5,293
2024 37 #3,989
2023 31 #4,491
2022 34 #4,233
2021 24 #5,281
2020 25 #5,066
2019 39 #3,812
2018 22 #5,661
2017 17 #6,897
2016 35 #4,190
2015 32 #4,433
2014 28 #4,939
2013 19 #6,552
2012 16 #7,567
2011 14 #8,331
2010 15 #8,024
2009 12 #9,577
2008 8 #12,976
2007 12 #9,738
2006 13 #8,882
2005 10 #10,376
2004 17 #6,883
2003 – –
2002 7 #12,641
2001 5 #16,127
2000 9 #10,157
1995 6 #12,256
1990 – –
1985 – –
1980 – –
1975 – –
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 7 #3,515
1930 7 #3,780
1925 20 #1,959
1920 17 #2,201
1915 8 #3,225
1910 9 #1,674
1905 6 #1,772
1900 9 #1,352
1895 – –
1890 8 #1,030
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Esma

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

  1. 1 Esma Redžepova Esma Redžepova Macedonian singer-songwriter (1943–2016) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Esma?

The median living Esma is about 9 years old. Half of all living Esmas are between 4 and 15 years old.

How many people named Esma are alive today?

An estimated 500 people named Esma are alive in the United States, based on 915 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Esma in 2025?

Esma ranked #5,293 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 24 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Esma?

915 babies have been named Esma in the United States since 1890, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Esma most popular?

Esma peaked in 2019, when 39 newborns received the name.

Is Esma a boy or girl name?

Esma is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Esma rising or falling?

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

Will Esma become more popular?

Esma is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 26 girls named Esma 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 Esma?

Well-known people named Esma include Esma Redžepova (singer).

Names like Esma

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

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