Thirty years of Esme
Esme in numbers
Esme has risen from 135 girls in 1996 to 933 in 2025, though it is below its peak of 1,416 in 2016. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2012 and 2015, from 934 to 1,340. It ranked 278th in 1996, reached 35th in 2016 and ranks 45th now. On average it was given to 182 girls a year in the late 1990s, 376 in the 2000s, 1,110 in the 2010s and 991 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year+8%864 to 933
- 5 years-12%1,055 to 933
- 10 years-30%1,340 to 933
- 20 years+140%389 to 933
- Since 1996×7135 to 933
- Total, 1996 to 202521,539girls
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 45 · ONS · 864 in 2024
Rank 38 · NRS · 102 in 2024
Rank 65 · NISRA · 34 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 45 | 933 | +8% | 1 in 305 |
| 2024 | 51 | 864 | -12% | 1 in 335 |
| 2023 | 47 | 982 | -11% | 1 in 293 |
| 2022 | 40 | 1,101 | +9% | 1 in 268 |
| 2021 | 46 | 1,013 | -4% | 1 in 301 |
| 2020 | 42 | 1,055 | -7% | 1 in 284 |
| 2019 | 43 | 1,138 | -8% | 1 in 274 |
| 2018 | 38 | 1,234 | -0% | 1 in 259 |
| 2017 | 42 | 1,235 | -13% | 1 in 268 |
| 2016 | 35 | 1,416 | +6% | 1 in 240 |
| 2015 | 38 | 1,340 | +16% | 1 in 254 |
| 2014 | 50 | 1,151 | +12% | 1 in 294 |
| 2013 * | 58 | 1,032 | +10% | 1 in 331 |
| 2012 | 65 | 934 | +17% | 1 in 380 |
| 2011 | 72 | 797 | -3% | 1 in 443 |
| 2010 | 74 | 823 | +34% | 1 in 428 |
| 2009 | 95 | 615 | +11% | 1 in 560 |
| 2008 | =100 | 555 | +20% | 1 in 623 |
| 2007 | 122 | 462 | +8% | 1 in 726 |
| 2006 | =125 | 428 | +10% | 1 in 764 |
| 2005 | =137 | 389 | +16% | 1 in 810 |
| 2004 | 160 | 335 | +13% | 1 in 929 |
| 2003 | 163 | 297 | +38% | 1 in 1,020 |
| 2002 | =202 | 215 | +0% | 1 in 1,349 |
| 2001 | =191 | 214 | -16% | 1 in 1,355 |
| 2000 | =171 | 254 | +20% | 1 in 1,161 |
| 1999 | 202 | 212 | -5% | 1 in 1,427 |
| 1998 | 194 | 222 | +41% | n/a |
| 1997 | =247 | 158 | +17% | 1 in 1,984 |
| 1996 | 278 | 135 | 1 in 2,341 |
* ONS’s girls’ 2013 file repeats the May total as April, so the 2013 births total is about 1,360 too high and 1 in X for 2013 is slightly too high. 1 in X is not shown for girls in 1998: one monthly total is missing from the ONS girls’ 1998 file. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Esme
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Esme is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate
Esme is in our lists: Short baby names.