Meaning & origin
How it developed
In English usage, Espy as a surname is a short form of Gillespie.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1920. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Espy through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 19
- 19 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1922
- 8 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1935. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 8 in 1922. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 141 as a first name in 2020; 1,848 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.
Espy’s family of names
In English usage, Espy as a surname is a short form of Gillespie. In English usage, Espy as a surname has a related form in ESPEY.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Espy, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Elwyn
“a friend of the elves”
81% boys · 19% girls
Elson
“from the nobleman's town”
>99% boys
Elroy
“a red-haired young man” · “a king”
>99% boys
Erwin
“a friend of the wild boar”
>99% boys
Elden
“an old friend”
>99% boys
Elwin
“a friend of the elves”
>99% boys
Enos
“mankind” · “a man”
>99% boys
Enrico
“home” · “power”
>99% boys