Esmerelda
Girl name · #5020 in 2025 · Very rare
Esmerelda is currently the #5020 girl name in the United States — 26 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #5653, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 69,231 girls born in 2025 was named Esmerelda.
The 54-year story
Esmerelda first appears in the Social Security records in 1971, when 6 girls received the name. Its peak came in 2021, when 39 girls were named Esmerelda — good for #3801 that year. Today's parents encounter it on its way down the popularity curve, which for many parents is exactly the appeal. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Esmerelda per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Esmerelda against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Esmerelda in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Esmerelda is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Esmerelda will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Esmerelda is most common
State-level data for Esmerelda is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Esmerelda
Statistically, parents drawn to Esmerelda tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Ellieanna, Evangelia, Andromeda, Maddalena, and Eleana.
EllieannaEvangeliaAndromedaMaddalenaEleanaErinaEllyannaTehilla
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Esmerelda | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 26 | #4987 |
| 2024 | 34 | #4207 |
| 2023 | 26 | #4999 |
| 2022 | 27 | #4907 |
| 2021 | 39 | #3801 |
| 2020 | 21 | #5667 |
| 2019 | 20 | #5986 |
| 2018 | 20 | #6010 |
| 2017 | 25 | #5191 |
| 2016 | 25 | #5284 |
| 2015 | 23 | #5653 |
| 2014 | 21 | #5993 |
| 2013 | 15 | #7748 |
| 2012 | 13 | #8632 |
| 2011 | 15 | #7783 |
| 2010 | 6 | #14959 |
| 2009 | 13 | #8888 |
| 2008 | 12 | #9476 |
| 2007 | 22 | #6093 |
| 2006 | 19 | #6592 |
| 2005 | 17 | #6820 |
| 2004 | 22 | #5555 |
| 2003 | 12 | #8505 |
| 2002 | 13 | #7816 |
| 2001 | 19 | #5822 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Esmerelda a popular girl name?
Esmerelda ranked #5020 among girls in 2025 with 26 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #5653.
When was the name Esmerelda most popular?
Esmerelda peaked in 2021, when 39 American girls received the name (ranked #3801 that year). Since 2021 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Esmerelda?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 69,231 newborn American girls was named Esmerelda. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.