unisex name
Espen
- Gender Unisex
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 982
Espen is a unisex name. It is given to both girls and boys — about 15% of recorded births with this name are girls. In 2025 it was given to 43 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
- Peaked in 2016, when 48 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 77,101 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1995.
Espen over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1990s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 46 |
| 2000s | 205 |
| 2010s | 371 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 241 |
How popular is Espen?
In 2025, Espen was given to 43 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Espen is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Espen
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Espen also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Espen over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Espen
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Espen — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Espen
How popular is the name Espen?
In 2025, Espen was given to 43 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Espen a girl's or a boy's name?
Espen is used for both girls and boys. About 15% of recorded births with this name are girls.
When was Espen most popular?
Espen peaked in 2016, when 48 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Espen a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Espen currently ranks #3,043 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.