Girl name · Old French
Esmé
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: esteemed, lovedEsmé is a girl's name that comes from Old French and means "esteemed, loved". It is used in English and French.
- Meaning
- Esteemed, loved
- Origin
- Old French
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- EZ-may
Meaning and origin of Esmé
As a girl's name, Esmé comes from Old French and means "esteemed, loved". It is used in English and French. In English it is spelled Esme.
Say it EZ-may. Say it EZ-mee. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Its meaning puts Esmé on our names that mean love list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Esmé on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Esmé on 4 lists.
“From Old French for esteemed or loved”
From Female cat names, vintage girl cat names
“Esteemed, loved; Old French. Short and literary. Say EZ-may”
From Girl middle names, flowing middle names for girls
“Esteemed, loved; Old French. Say EZ-mee”
From Names that mean love, girl names that mean love
“Esteemed, loved; Old French, a Salinger story name. Say EZ-may”
From Unique girl names, unique girl names from Africa and Europe
How popular is Esmé?
- US rank in 2025
- #298
- 1,032 babies, 642 per million girls
- Best rank
- #298 in 2025
- Most babies: 1,053 in 2022
- Babies since 1913
- At least 10,920
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 1 per million |
| 1920s | 0 per million |
| 1930s | 0 per million |
| 1940s | 0 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 0 per million |
| 1970s | 1 per million |
| 1980s | 4 per million |
| 1990s | 10 per million |
| 2000s | 52 per million |
| 2010s | 234 per million |
| 2020s | 571 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #682 | #585 | #548 | #426 | #395 | #376 | #304 | #325 | #343 | #298 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Esmé
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- EsmeeEsteemed, loved (Old French, girl)
Names spelled like Esmé
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- EsmaSupreme, exalted (Arabic, girl)
- EmmaWhole, universal (Germanic, girl)
- ElsieGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- ElskeGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- EmmyWhole, universal (Germanic, girl)
- EceQueen, lady (Turkish, girl)
- ElkeNoble kind (Germanic, girl)
- ElseGod is my oath (Hebrew, girl)
- EmaBlossom and jasmine (depends on characters) (Japanese, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- PhilomenaLoved (Greek, girl)
- AngharadMuch loved (Welsh, girl)
- FilomenaTo be loved (Greek, girl)
- HonoréEsteemed, distinguished (Latin, boy)
- KealohaThe loved one (Hawaiian, unisex)
- SanghunEsteemed merit (depends on hanja) (Korean, boy)
- SangminEsteemed and clever (depends on hanja) (Korean, boy)
- ThandekaLoved (Zulu, girl)
Middle names for Esmé
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
- AoifeBeauty, radiance (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- BrookeSmall stream (Old English, girl)
- HarmonyConcord, agreement (Greek, girl)
- JuniperEvergreen shrub (Latin, girl)
- NaomiPleasantness, sweetness (Hebrew, girl)
- OttilieWealth, fortune (Germanic, girl)
- ReeseArdor, enthusiasm (Welsh, unisex)
- VictoriaVictory, triumph (Latin, girl)
More girl names from Old French
- BellamyBeautiful friend (Old French, unisex)
- BlancheWhite, fair (Old French, girl)
- AmyBeloved (Old French, girl)
- BaileySteward, bailiff (Old French, unisex)
- DouceSweet (Old French, girl)
- EleanorReportedly from Latin alia Aenor, the other Aenor (Old French, girl)
- ElliePet form of Eleanor, Ellen, Elizabeth and other El- names (Old French, girl)
- MalloryUnlucky, unfortunate (Old French, unisex)
- PaigeYoung servant, page (Old French, girl)
- PalmerPilgrim (Old French, unisex)
Esmé: common questions
What does the name Esmé mean?
Esmé comes from Old French and means "esteemed, loved".
Is Esmé a boy or girl name?
Esmé is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Esmé come from?
Esmé comes from Old French and means "esteemed, loved". Today it is used in English and French.
How do you pronounce Esmé?
Say EZ-may. Say EZ-mee. Pronunciation can vary between languages and regions.
How popular is the name Esmé?
Esmé ranked #298 in the US in 2025, with 1,032 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Esmé?
Forms of Esmé with the same meaning and origin include Esmee (Dutch).
What middle names go with Esmé?
Middle names that flow well with Esmé include Aoife, Brooke, Harmony, Juniper and Naomi. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.