girls' name ★ peaked 1998

Esmeralda

Meaning emerald Gender Girl Rank 2025 #373 Trend ↑ Rising 11%

From Spanish esmeralda (“emerald”), as first used in the novel Notre-Dame de Paris (1831) by Victor Hugo.

Rank 2025
#373
among girls · ↓23 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
823
named Esmeralda · -8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,953
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1998
2,484 babies
All-time total
51,751
#575 all-time among girls
First recorded
1911
in Social Security records

Esmeralda popularity over time

51,751 babies have been named Esmeralda since 1911, 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
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 28 – 28 3 – #2,594
1920s 97 – 97 10 +246% #1,960
1930s 112 – 112 11 +15% #2,023
1940s 336 – 336 34 +200% #1,114
1950s 1,092 – 1,092 109 +225% #867
1960s 1,615 – 1,615 162 +48% #742
1970s 3,898 27 3,925 393 +143% #416
1980s 4,783 62 4,845 485 +23% #420
1990s 10,288 68 10,356 1,036 +114% #133
2000s 15,479 23 15,502 1,550 +50% #191
2010s 8,879 – 8,879 888 -43% #283
2020s (to 2025) 4,964 – 4,964 827 -7% #342

Where Esmeralda 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 836 0.52 #366
2027 847 0.53 #361
2028 857 0.53 #355
2029 865 0.54 #354
2030 872 0.54 #349

Where Esmeralda is most popular

Girls named Esmeralda per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.514 per 1,000. Strongest in Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Esmeralda born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Nevada 87 1.87 +264%
New Mexico 44 1.81 +252%
Arizona 207 1.48 +187%
California 1,052 1.25 +143%
Colorado 102 0.914 +78%
Illinois 197 0.861 +67%
Oregon 56 0.860 +67%
Texas 685 0.852 +66%
Washington 104 0.720 +40%
Kansas 39 0.676 +31%
Nebraska 22 0.612 +19%
Wisconsin 58 0.563 +9%
Florida 226 0.528 ≈ national
Oklahoma 37 0.503 ≈ national
Utah 41 0.493 ≈ national
Rhode Island 6 0.479 -7%
Indiana 64 0.456 -11%
Tennessee 69 0.436 -15%
Maryland 44 0.415 -19%
North Carolina 93 0.408 -21%
Minnesota 44 0.408 -21%
Alabama 38 0.405 -21%
Massachusetts 47 0.389 -24%
Georgia 88 0.387 -25%
New Jersey 68 0.377 -27%
New York 144 0.364 -29%
Connecticut 21 0.361 -30%
Virginia 58 0.340 -34%
Idaho 11 0.329 -36%
Iowa 19 0.325 -37%
Arkansas 17 0.322 -37%
South Carolina 28 0.311 -39%
Michigan 50 0.275 -47%
Ohio 56 0.236 -54%
Missouri 28 0.232 -55%
Pennsylvania 51 0.216 -58%
Louisiana 14 0.160 -69%
Kentucky 12 0.140 -73%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Esmeralda

Esmeralda is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #373 in 2025 with 823 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1911, 51,751 American babies have been named Esmeralda. Its peak came in 1998, when 2,484 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

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

How old are people named Esmeralda?

The median living Esmeralda is about 23 years old; half are between 15 and 33. An estimated 50 thousand people named Esmeralda are alive in the United States today.

median 23 020406080100

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

Esmeralda 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 823 #373 – –
2024 894 #350 – –
2023 907 #342 – –
2022 854 #371 – –
2021 696 #450 – –
2020 790 #394 – –
2019 825 #379 – –
2018 832 #377 – –
2017 821 #378 – –
2016 869 #377 – –
2015 883 #370 – –
2014 867 #377 – –
2013 786 #393 – –
2012 882 #360 – –
2011 946 #334 – –
2010 1,168 #283 – –
2009 1,113 #299 – –
2008 1,340 #256 – –
2007 1,745 #191 – –
2006 1,538 #223 – –
2005 1,618 #214 – –
2004 1,613 #212 5 #11,910
2003 1,652 #202 8 #8,076
2002 1,598 #205 – –
2001 1,621 #201 5 #11,103
2000 1,641 #195 5 #10,928
1995 657 #400 6 #8,124
1990 601 #423 9 #5,516
1985 418 #488 6 #6,023
1980 520 #420 7 #5,110
1975 440 #448 6 #5,003
1970 221 #704 – –
1965 157 #788 – –
1960 168 #791 – –
1955 111 #933 – –
1950 67 #1,126 – –
1945 35 #1,362 – –
1940 10 #2,801 – –
1935 8 #3,244 – –
1930 17 #2,044 – –
1925 20 #1,960 – –
1920 7 #4,114 – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Esmeralda?

The median living Esmeralda is about 23 years old. Half of all living Esmeraldas are between 15 and 33 years old.

How many people named Esmeralda are alive today?

An estimated 50 thousand people named Esmeralda are alive in the United States, based on 51,751 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Esmeralda mean?

From Spanish esmeralda (“emerald”), as first used in the novel Notre-Dame de Paris (1831) by Victor Hugo.

How popular is the name Esmeralda in 2025?

Esmeralda ranked #373 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 823 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Esmeralda?

51,751 babies have been named Esmeralda in the United States since 1911, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Esmeralda most popular?

Esmeralda peaked in 1998, when 2,484 newborns received the name.

Is Esmeralda a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Esmeralda rising or falling?

Esmeralda has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Esmeralda become more popular?

Esmeralda looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 872 girls named Esmeralda in 2030, ranking around #349. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Esmeralda

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

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