Given name
Essence
“a perfumed woman”
Essence is used as a given name. One American interpretation is “a perfumed woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One American interpretation is “a perfumed woman.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is American.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1973. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Essence through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 10,761
- 17 boys · 10,744 girls
- Most popular year
- 1998
- 565 babies
- 2025
- 205
- #1,165 for girls · #11,078 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +42%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 199 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,165 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 39.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 565 in 1998. It also appeared in 6 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (26). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 7,458 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Essence’s family of names
Essence has a related form in Essynce. Essence has a related form in Esense. Essence has a related form in Esince.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Essence
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Essence, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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