Given name & surname
Ismay
“one who is esteemed”
Ismay is a form of Esme. One French interpretation is “one who is esteemed.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In French use, Ismay carries the interpretation “one who is esteemed.” Ismay is a form of Esme. One French interpretation is “one who is esteemed.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is French.
How it developed
Ismay is used as a form of Esme.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1916. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ismay through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 52
- 0 boys · 52 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 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 girls is 7 in 1927. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 162 as a first name in 2020; a sample rank of No. 71,717 among surnames in 1990.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Ismay’s family of names
Ismay is a form of Esme. Ismay has a related form in Ismaa. Ismay has a related form in Ismae.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
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If you love Ismay, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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