Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2016

Espen

Gender Unisex · 17% girls Rank 2025 #3,879 Trend ↓ Falling 10%
Rank 2025
#3,879
among boys · ↓247 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
43
named Espen · +13% vs 2024
How common
1 in 61,003
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2016
48 babies
All-time total
863
#6,342 all-time among boys
First recorded
1995
in Social Security records

Espen popularity over time

863 babies have been named Espen since 1995, 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
0.010.010.020.0218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1970s – – – – – –
1980s – – – – – –
1990s – 46 46 5 – #4,412
2000s – 205 205 21 +346% #2,916
2010s 72 299 371 37 +81% #3,100
2020s (to 2025) 76 165 241 40 +8% #3,381

Where Espen 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 28 0.02 outside top 500
2027 27 0.02 outside top 500
2028 27 0.02 outside top 500
2029 27 0.02 outside top 500
2030 27 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Espen

Espen is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #3,879 in 2025 with 28 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1995, 863 American babies have been named Espen, about 83% boys and 17% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2016, when 48 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 Espen stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Espen?

The median living Espen is about 10 years old; half are between 5 and 17. An estimated 900 people named Espen are alive in the United States today.

median 10 020406080100

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

Espen 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 15 #7,239 28 #3,879
2024 7 #12,578 31 #3,632
2023 11 #9,183 20 #4,937
2022 18 #6,536 23 #4,471
2021 13 #8,171 34 #3,381
2020 12 #8,566 29 #3,674
2019 18 #6,510 28 #3,829
2018 9 #10,831 32 #3,468
2017 14 #7,981 25 #4,147
2016 17 #7,012 31 #3,554
2015 9 #11,193 37 #3,100
2014 5 #17,364 29 #3,643
2013 – – 32 #3,358
2012 – – 29 #3,642
2011 – – 24 #4,139
2010 – – 32 #3,397
2009 – – 26 #3,950
2008 – – 24 #4,177
2007 – – 24 #4,158
2006 – – 28 #3,629
2005 – – 36 #2,916
2004 – – 18 #4,654
2003 – – 14 #5,355
2002 – – 17 #4,566
2001 – – 11 #6,154
2000 – – 7 #8,477
1995 – – 5 #9,292
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 Espen

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

  1. 1 Espen Lind Espen Lind Norwegian record producer b. 1971 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Espen Knutsen Norwegian ice hockey player (born 1972) Contemporary
  3. 3 Espen Sandberg Norwegian film director and advertising producer b. 1971 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Espen Baardsen Norwegian footballer (born 1977) Contemporary
  5. 5 Espen Bredesen Espen Bredesen Norwegian ski jumper (born 1968) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Espen?

The median living Espen is about 10 years old. Half of all living Espens are between 5 and 17 years old.

How many people named Espen are alive today?

An estimated 900 people named Espen are alive in the United States, based on 863 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Espen in 2025?

Espen ranked #3,879 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 28 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Espen?

863 babies have been named Espen in the United States since 1995, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Espen most popular?

Espen peaked in 2016, when 48 newborns received the name.

Is Espen a boy or girl name?

Espen is used for both: about 17% of babies named Espen have been girls and 83% boys.

Is the name Espen rising or falling?

Espen has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Espen become more popular?

Espen looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 27 boys named Espen in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Espen?

Well-known people named Espen include Espen Lind (singer), Espen Knutsen (hockey player), Espen Sandberg (film director).

Names like Espen

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

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