girl's name
Essie
ESS-ee
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 41,209
Ireland
#725
2024 births
Essie shortens two names with nothing in common — Esther, whose root is probably Babylonian, and Estelle, which is the Latin for a star. Neither can be recovered from the short form. The book itself gives Esther a second Hebrew name, Hadassah.
- Essie is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1919, when 1,063 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 70,542 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Essie over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,589 |
| 1890s | 3,143 |
| 1900s | 4,549 |
| 1910s | 8,239 |
| 1920s | 9,227 |
| 1930s | 5,550 |
| 1940s | 3,855 |
| 1950s | 2,389 |
| 1960s | 912 |
| 1970s | 362 |
| 1980s | 246 |
| 1990s | 151 |
| 2000s | 84 |
| 2010s | 310 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 288 |
What Essie means
Essie means star if taken from Estelle, or has no settled meaning if taken from Esther. The two parents are unrelated and the spelling gives no way to tell them apart.
Where Essie comes from
Essie is a pet form of Esther or Estelle. Esther's origin is disputed: a connection to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar is the leading account, with the Persian for a star also proposed, and the book itself gives her the Hebrew name Hadassah, a myrtle. Estelle is straightforwardly the Latin stella, a star. So the star sense reaches Essie by one certain route and one uncertain one. Estella, elsewhere on this site, is the same Latin word.
Essie in use
Essie peaked in the United States in 1919, when 1,063 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It now ranks 2113th in England and Wales on 14 births and 3334th in the United States on 47, across 41,209 lifetime births in two of the seven markets we track. England and Wales ran its own peak of 33 births in 2018, and our records carry the name from 1880.
How popular is Essie?
In 2025, Essie was given to 47 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Essie 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 Essie
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Essie also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Essie over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Essie 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.
Sibling names for Essie
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Essie — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Essie
What does the name Essie mean?
Star through Estelle, or nothing settled through Esther.
Is Esther named for Ishtar?
That is the leading account, but the Persian for a star is also proposed.
What is Hadassah?
Esther's Hebrew name in the book itself, meaning a myrtle.
Is Essie coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, at 2113th in England and Wales.
How popular is the name Essie?
In 2025, Essie was given to 47 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Essie a girl's or a boy's name?
Essie is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Essie?
Essie has 2 syllables.
When was Essie most popular?
Essie peaked in 1919, when 1,063 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Essie a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Essie currently ranks #2,113 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.