Is Esme too popular?

[Ladypug]

Really like Esme but think it's too popular. Opinions please?

[RedToothBrush]

I've met three under a year old.

[sweetpeame]

I've never met any in real life living in London. It's a lovely name, I wouldn't hesitate to use it. Look at the most recent name stats and you'll see how many girls were actually called Esme (think the most recent ones at 2013), I think that's a better indicator than mumsnet.

[lastqueenofscotland]

im an esme and I've never met another!

[cece]

DD is Esme and there are 2 in her school of 1600 pupils.

[Rose58]

I'm in Scotland and know of only one Esme. I love it!

[fionadal]

I know two under fives. Certainly not very popular. Nice name...

[QueenOfEgypt]

I know two, one under 7 and one under 2. Gorgeous name!

[dimdommilpot]

I have a 4.8yr old Esmé. Ive met a couple since she was born but non recently.

[BeautifulStars93]

I know 3 under 3. one is an esmae though x

[needmorespace]

Have an Esme - no other in her school of >1000 pupils
I have incidentally heard of a couple of other Esmes but I haven't personally known them
Lovely name but obvs I'm biased

[reuset]

Facts OP. Esme is just outside the top 50, and has been on the rise for years, I'd wager it will rise still further next year.

Is that too popular for you? I wouldn't care, but it depends how much popularity is of concern to you

[Rhubarbgarden]

I don't know any. I have two small dcs and haven't come across any Esmes at any baby groups, preschool, nursery or school that my dcs have attended.

[Ladypug]

Thanks reuset, no that's ok. Just don't want 5 of them in the same class. Everyone I know seems to be called Isla, Amelie, Sophia or Grace!

[RedToothBrush]

I predict Esme will be the next Isla tbh...

[HayFeverHell]

I think it is popular in New York. My sister living in Manhattan suggested it for my eldest DD, now 11 yrs old. It's a nick name for Esmerelda, no?

[ImpatiencePersonified]

Who cares its a gorgeous name, we don't all stop eating bananas because everyone else is.

Esme - do it.

[RedToothBrush]

I never did like bananas in the first place.

[ImpatiencePersonified]

then you have no taste

[HayFeverHell]

I didn't choose Esme.
But frankly, my lil sis, is much, much chicer than I am. Pictures in the paper at society events in the City, works in the glamorous world of fashion, etc.

[ChilliAndMint]

Two in my family,ages 9 and 82! Love the name.

[GoodbyeToAllOfThat]

I think it's lovely. Mind you Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes used it so it might gain traction.

No Esmes that I'm aware of at my kids' school, but it's for year 3 and up.

[SaulGood]

The popularity wouldn't bother me but the endless arguments on here re pronunciation would a little. People have v fixed ideas about how you say it, whether it should have an accent, assertions that it's French and should have an accent and should be pronounced x or no it's not French, it's Scottish and you say it THIS way. That was the thing that put me off tbh. I did like it when pregnant with dd 8 years ago.

The 2013 stats put it at 58th which isn't that high up BUT it's 7 higher than 2012 and probably higher now. It's climbed 105 places since 2003 and is probably not done climbing tbh.

[PuppyMonkey]

DD2 is Esme. She's 8 and we've met one other in all that time. Notts/Derbyshire.

MN has been saying it's too popular ever since she was a baby. MN is not representative of RL is all I can say.

It's not short for Esmerelda btw, it's a name in its own right.

We pronounce Esmee. Don't really like Esmay.

[Famousfor5]

It does get the wrong pronunciation all the time. Some people can't seem to even hear the difference. There are a few small ones around here but I wasn't bothered about choosing a very unusual name, as long as it wasn't Emily. I know so many of them. Names beginning with E are very popular though and that means she often gets confused with Evies and Elsies etc.

Agree it's a name in its own right and does not need an accent or French pronunciation. That's like saying Hugo should always be 'ugo because it has a French origin.

[SaulGood]

Famousfor5, you say it gets the "wrong" pronunciation all the time but these threads historically show that there are two pronunciations and they are used pretty much equally. I would argue that there are two correct pronunciations if you look at common usage.

It's like the name Sacha. I wanted to use it for ds but in the uk and the us, people started using it for girls and while it is a boys' name, I can't argue against common usage. People do use it for girls now, particularly in the uk, I know they're wrong but I can't fight the shift. I begrudgingly acknowledge it is unisex now.