Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1919

Essie

Meaning A diminutive form of the female given name Esther Gender Girl · 3% boys Rank 2025 #3,306 Trend ↑ Rising 31%

A diminutive form of the female given name Esther.

Rank 2025
#3,306
among girls · ↓577 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
47
named Essie · -25% vs 2024
How common
1 in 34,197
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1919
1,063 babies
All-time total
40,894
#691 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Essie popularity over time

40,894 babies have been named Essie since 1880, 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
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 1,554 35 1,589 159 – #136
1890s 3,059 84 3,143 314 +98% #126
1900s 4,467 82 4,549 455 +45% #129
1910s 7,999 240 8,239 824 +81% #134
1920s 8,967 260 9,227 923 +12% #197
1930s 5,355 195 5,550 555 -40% #234
1940s 3,696 159 3,855 386 -31% #309
1950s 2,274 115 2,389 239 -38% #459
1960s 892 20 912 91 -62% #887
1970s 355 7 362 36 -60% #1,758
1980s 231 15 246 25 -32% #2,817
1990s 151 – 151 15 -39% #4,041
2000s 84 – 84 8 -44% #8,756
2010s 310 – 310 31 +269% #3,059
2020s (to 2025) 288 – 288 48 +55% #2,729

Where Essie 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 49 0.03 outside top 500
2027 51 0.03 outside top 500
2028 52 0.03 outside top 500
2029 53 0.03 outside top 500
2030 54 0.03 outside top 500

The story of Essie

Essie is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,306 in 2025 with 47 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 40,894 American babies have been named Essie. Its peak came in 1919, when 1,063 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

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

How old are people named Essie?

The median living Essie is about 76 years old; half are between 64 and 84. An estimated 8,300 people named Essie are alive in the United States today.

median 76 020406080100

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

Essie 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 47 #3,306 – –
2024 63 #2,729 – –
2023 53 #3,112 – –
2022 50 #3,237 – –
2021 42 #3,636 – –
2020 33 #4,200 – –
2019 53 #3,059 – –
2018 42 #3,635 – –
2017 39 #3,873 – –
2016 39 #3,875 – –
2015 33 #4,330 – –
2014 28 #4,940 – –
2013 24 #5,542 – –
2012 28 #5,010 – –
2011 12 #9,343 – –
2010 12 #9,406 – –
2009 12 #9,579 – –
2008 9 #11,902 – –
2007 6 #16,120 – –
2006 9 #11,750 – –
2005 8 #12,181 – –
2004 11 #9,448 – –
2003 10 #9,901 – –
2002 – – – –
2001 8 #11,346 – –
2000 11 #8,756 – –
1995 11 #7,680 – –
1990 25 #4,041 – –
1985 33 #2,817 – –
1980 23 #3,539 – –
1975 24 #2,991 – –
1970 48 #1,838 7 #3,975
1965 84 #1,172 – –
1960 139 #887 – –
1955 225 #620 12 #2,339
1950 313 #459 13 #2,137
1945 389 #350 14 #1,877
1940 420 #309 16 #1,754
1935 498 #272 23 #1,433
1930 617 #250 33 #1,242
1925 925 #211 20 #1,753
1920 996 #197 37 #1,187
1915 869 #191 27 #1,277
1910 620 #134 11 #1,002
1905 476 #132 9 #861
1900 492 #129 8 #989
1895 335 #136 9 #755
1890 256 #138 5 #1,054
1885 153 #149 7 #790
1880 78 #168 – –

Famous people named Essie

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

  1. 1 Essie Davis Essie Davis Australian actress b. 1970 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Essie?

The median living Essie is about 76 years old. Half of all living Essies are between 64 and 84 years old.

How many people named Essie are alive today?

An estimated 8,300 people named Essie are alive in the United States, based on 40,894 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Essie mean?

A diminutive form of the female given name Esther.

How popular is the name Essie in 2025?

Essie ranked #3,306 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 47 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Essie?

40,894 babies have been named Essie in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Essie most popular?

Essie peaked in 1919, when 1,063 newborns received the name.

Is Essie a boy or girl name?

Essie is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 97% of babies with the name.

Is the name Essie rising or falling?

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

Will Essie become more popular?

Essie is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 54 girls named Essie 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 Essie?

Well-known people named Essie include Essie Davis (actor).

Names like Essie

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

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