Given name & surname
Esmeralda
“resembling a prized emerald”
Esmeralda is used as a given name and a surname. One Spanish interpretation is “resembling a prized emerald.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Spanish interpretation is “resembling a prized emerald.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Spanish.
How it developed
The name draws on Spanish esmeralda, meaning “emerald”.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1911. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Esmeralda through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 51,751
- 180 boys · 51,571 girls
- Most popular year
- 1998
- 2,484 babies
- 2025
- 823
- #373 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +1%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 823 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 373 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 0.9% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 2,477 in 1998. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (198). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 50,748 as a first name in 2020; 376 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.
Esmeralda’s family of names
In English usage, Esmeralda has a diminutive in Esme. Esmeralda has a related form in Emerald. Esmeralda has a related form in Emelda.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Esmeralda has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Spanish roots to each of them.
5 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 15
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Esmeralda
- Esmeralda PimentelAmerican Mexican actress and modelborn 1988
- Esmeralda MalladaUruguayan astronomer and professor1937–2023
- Es Devlinstage designerborn 1971
- Esmeralda de Jesus GarciaBrazilian sprinter, long and triple jumperborn 1959
- Esmeralda Arboleda CadavidColombian politician, suffragist1921–1997
- Esmeralda RuspoliItalian actress (1928-1988)
- Esmeralda Athanasiu-GardeevRomanian composer1834–1917
- Esmeralda MitreArgentinian actressborn 1982
- Esmeralda MorenoMexican boxerborn 1987
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Esmeralda, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Esperanza
“hope” · “filled with hope”
>99% girls
Estrella
“star of the sea” · “resembling a star”
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“my God is bountiful”
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“from the altar of heaven”
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“an adventurous woman”
>99% girls
Sierra
“from the jagged mountain range”
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Analia
Analia is a feminine given name from Spanish.
>99% girls