Girl name · Spanish
Esperanza
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: the virtue of hopeEsperanza is a girl's name that comes from Spanish and means "the virtue of hope". It is used in Spanish.
- Meaning
- The virtue of hope
- Origin
- Spanish
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- es-peh-RAHN-sah (Spanish)
Meaning and origin of Esperanza
As a girl's name, Esperanza comes from Spanish and means "the virtue of hope". It is used in Spanish.
In Spanish, say es-peh-RAHN-sah. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Its meaning puts Esperanza on our names that mean hope list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Esperanza on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Esperanza on 2 lists.
“Hope; Spanish, from Latin sperare, to hope”
From Names that mean hope, girl names that mean hope
“Hope; Spanish. Say es-peh-RAHN-sah”
From Spanish girl names, vintage Spanish girl names and virtue names
How popular is Esperanza?
- US rank in 2025
- #1,209
- 188 babies, 117 per million girls
- Best rank
- #446 in 1929
- Most babies: 499 in 2000
- Babies since 1903
- At least 20,849
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 15 per million |
| 1910s | 56 per million |
| 1920s | 142 per million |
| 1930s | 130 per million |
| 1940s | 111 per million |
| 1950s | 78 per million |
| 1960s | 67 per million |
| 1970s | 85 per million |
| 1980s | 76 per million |
| 1990s | 131 per million |
| 2000s | 206 per million |
| 2010s | 154 per million |
| 2020s | 149 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #999 | #955 | #991 | #966 | #949 | #1,105 | #998 | #992 | #1,013 | #1,209 |
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.
Names spelled like Esperanza
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- EsperançaHope (Portuguese, girl)
- EspéranceHope (French, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- NadiaHope (Slavic, girl)
- NadineHope (Russian, girl)
- VeraFaith, a Christian virtue (Slavic, girl)
- ElpidioHope (Greek, boy)
- AkiSecond and hope, written 亜希 (Japanese, girl)
- AmalHope, aspiration (Arabic, unisex)
- AretiVirtue (Greek, girl)
- ArmanWish, ideal, hope (Persian, boy)
- AshaHope, wish (Sanskrit, girl)
- ChiyembekezoHope (Chewa, unisex)
- DohyeonPath of virtue (depends on characters) (Korean, boy)
- DonghyeonVirtue of the east (depends on hanja) (Korean, boy)
- ElpidaHope, expectation (Greek, girl)
- ElpidophorosBearer of hope (Greek, boy)
- ElpinikiHope and victory (Greek, girl)
Middle names for Esperanza
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
- AgnesPure, chaste (Greek, girl)
- AliceNobility, of noble kind (Germanic, girl)
- HopeThe virtue of hope (English, girl)
- JadeJade gemstone (Spanish, girl)
- JuneSixth month, named for Juno (Latin, girl)
- LucyLight, brightness (Latin, girl)
- NiamhBright, radiant (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- RoseFragrant garden flower (Latin, girl)
More girl names from Spanish
- RioRiver (Spanish, unisex)
- AitanaFrom a place name, a mountain range in Valencia (Spanish, girl)
- DoloresSorrows, our lady of sorrows (Spanish, girl)
- EsmeraldaEmerald (Spanish, girl)
- SierraMountain range (Spanish, girl)
- XimenaFeminine of Ximeno, a medieval Spanish name of uncertain meaning (Spanish, girl)
- AlondraLark (Spanish, girl)
- AltagraciaHigh grace (Spanish, girl)
- AmapolaPoppy (Spanish, girl)
- AmparoShelter, protection (Spanish, girl)
- ÁngelesAngels (Spanish, girl)
- BrisaBreeze (Spanish, girl)
- CataPet form of Catalina (Spanish, girl)
- ChabucaPet form of Isabel (Spanish, girl)
- CharoPet form of Rosario (Spanish, girl)
- ChayoPet form of Rosario (Spanish, girl)
- ConchitaPet form of Concepción (Spanish, girl)
- ConsueloConsolation, comfort (Spanish, girl)
Esperanza: common questions
What does the name Esperanza mean?
Esperanza comes from Spanish and means "the virtue of hope".
Is Esperanza a boy or girl name?
Esperanza is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Esperanza come from?
Esperanza comes from Spanish and means "the virtue of hope". Today it is used in Spanish.
How do you pronounce Esperanza?
In Spanish, say es-peh-RAHN-sah. Pronunciation can vary between languages and regions.
How popular is the name Esperanza?
Esperanza ranked #1,209 in the US in 2025, with 188 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Esperanza?
Names spelled like Esperanza include Esperança and Espérance.
What middle names go with Esperanza?
Middle names that flow well with Esperanza include Agnes, Alice, Hope, Jade and June. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.