Given name & surname
Esau
“hairy”
Esau is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “hairy.”
Original Hebrewעשו
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “hairy.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
From Ancient Greek Ἡσαῦ, from Biblical Hebrew עֵשָׂו (ʿēśāw).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
The name appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Esau appears in Genesis 25:25, Romans 9:13, Hebrews 11:20.
- Genesis 25:25
- Romans 9:13
- Hebrews 11:20
From biblical name research
Esau through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,976
- 2,976 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2007
- 82 babies
- 2025
- 37
- #3,205 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +4%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 37 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,205 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 4.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 82 in 2007. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (9). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,018 as a first name in 2020; 1,231 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Esau’s family of names
In Finnish usage, Esau has a diminutive in Esa. In Latin usage, Esau has a later derivative in Għesaw. Esau has a related form in Esaw.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Esau has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
4 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 6
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
Similar names
If you love Esau, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Elnathan
“God has given”
>99% boys
Emmanuel
“God is with us”
>99% boys
Hebron
“born of the community; a good friend”
>99% boys
Javan
“mire” · “mud man”
>99% boys
Uriel
“the angel of light”
98% boys · 2% girls
Isaac
“full of laughter”
>99% boys
Ethan
“firmness” · “long-lived”
>99% boys
Eli
“one who has ascended; my God on high”
99% boys · 1% girls