Girls' name · peaked in 1998
Esmeralda name popularity since 1925
51,696 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Esmeralda. Half of them were born in 2002 or earlier, so the typical Esmeralda is about 24 years old in 2026. Esmeralda peaked in 1998 as the #133 name for girls, and it ranked #373 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 51,696
- Named Esmeralda, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #373
- for girls in 2025 (823 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% girls
- 51,516 girls · 180 boys
- Most popular in
- Nevada
- 3.60× its national share
Peak year is the year Esmeralda made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Esmeralda births per year, 1925–2025
1998 was the biggest year for Esmeralda both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1993 and 1998, Esmeralda became 3.6× more common, from 1 in 2,590 baby girls to 1 in 713.
- Steepest fall: Between 2007 and 2012, its share of baby girls fell by 45%, from 1 in 1,100 to 1 in 2,000.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Esmeralda's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Esmeralda.
Decade by decade
Babies named Esmeralda in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 70 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 112 | 0 | #3,244 |
| 1940s | 336 | 0 | #1,362 |
| 1950s | 1,092 | 0 | #933 |
| 1960s | 1,615 | 0 | #788 |
| 1970s | 3,898 | 27 | #448 |
| 1980s | 4,783 | 62 | #488 |
| 1990s | 10,288 | 68 | #400 |
| 2000s | 15,479 | 23 | #214 |
| 2010s | 8,879 | 0 | #370 |
| 2020–25 | 4,964 | 0 | #373 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
46.7% of babies named Esmeralda from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Z years (1997–2012). The full split by generation:
Where Esmeralda is most popular
The index compares Esmeralda's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Esmeralda.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 3.60× | 642 |
| California | 3.32× | 17,530 |
| Texas | 3.30× | 12,938 |
| Arizona | 3.00× | 1,943 |
| New Mexico | 1.67× | 461 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Esmeralda's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Esmeralda.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Esmeralda (1998).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data