girl's name
Esmée
ess-MAY
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (France)
- Births on record 9,545
France
#27
2025 births
Esmée is a girl's name of Old French origin meaning "esteemed" or "beloved," from the past participle of esmer. It ranks twenty-seventh in France, and the name reached English through medieval French before returning to French use in its modern form.
- Esmée is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 2025, when 1,575 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 385 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 2001.
Esmée over time
Births per decade in France, 2000s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 2000s | 20 |
| 2010s | 620 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,705 |
What Esmée means
Esmée means esteemed, or beloved. It is the feminine past participle of the Old French esmer, to esteem or to value, so the name literally describes someone who is held in regard rather than naming a quality in the abstract.
Where Esmée comes from
Esmée comes from the Old French esmer, to esteem, which descends from the Latin aestimare, the source of the English estimate and esteem. The masculine Esme was carried to Scotland in the sixteenth century by Esme Stewart, a French-born cousin of James VI who became Duke of Lennox, and the name was masculine in Britain for generations before turning feminine. J. D. Salinger's story For Esme, with Love and Squalor fixed the feminine reading for English readers in 1950. The double e with an acute accent is the French feminine spelling, and it is what distinguishes the modern French usage from the English Esme.
Esmée in use
Esmée ranks twenty-seventh in France. The name has an unusual circular history in our data: French in origin, exported to Britain as a masculine name, feminised there, and now common in France again in a feminine spelling. Names generally travel in one direction and stay put; this one has been in both directions and changed gender on the way.
How popular is Esmée?
In 2025, Esmée was given to 1,530 babies in France, ranking #27 that year. It is one of the most popular names in France.
Where Esmée is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Esmée is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Esmee | Esmee is a spelling of Esmée, used in Canada, where it ranks #489. | 4,261 |
| Ésmée | Ésmée is a rare spelling of Esmée, written with an acute accent and recorded about 95 times, mostly in France. | 95 |
| Esmëe | Esmëe is a rare spelling of Esmée, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 10 times, mostly in France. | 10 |
Names that peaked alongside Esmée
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Esmée also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Esmée over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Esmée in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Dutch
- Esmée
Sibling names for Esmée
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Esmée — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Esmée
What does the name Esmée mean?
Esmée means "esteemed" or "beloved," from the Old French esmer, to esteem.
Was Esme originally a boy's name?
Yes. It was masculine in Britain for generations after Esme Stewart brought it to Scotland in the sixteenth century.
How do you pronounce Esmée?
ess-MAY, two syllables, with the stress on the second.
What is the difference between Esme and Esmée?
Esmée is the French feminine spelling with an acute accent; Esme is the English form.
Is Esmée a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Esmée currently ranks #27 in France. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.