Esmé (more commonly Esme) or Esmée is an English first name, from the past participle of the Old French verb esmer, "to esteem", thus signifying "esteemed". Another theory is that esmer is an alternative spelling of today's aimer,[1][original research?] "to love", thus the name is aimé, meaning "beloved", equivalent to the modern feminine first name "Amy". Originally a masculine name, Esme had become a feminine name by the mid-twentieth century.[2]
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛmeɪ/, /ˈɛzmeɪ/ or /ˈɛzmiː/ |
|---|---|
| Gender | male or female |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Old French esmé (feminine esmée), "esteemed", past participle of esmer, "to esteem" |
| Meaning | 1. Old French: "beloved", "esteemed" 2. Short for Esméralda |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Edmé, Esméralda, Ismi |
The name was first popularised by Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox (1542–1583), a French nobleman of Scottish origins who returned to Scotland for part of his life. However with regard to spelling (and pronunciation), on one of his surviving letters, dated 1583, he signed himself "Amy".[3]
Esme was among the 100 most popular baby names for girls in the UK in 2015.[4]
Esme is also used as a short form for the Spanish feminine name Esmeralda, meaning "emerald".[2]
Notable bearers
editMen
editIn order of birth:
- Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox (1542–1583), Scottish earl of French descent
- Esmé Stewart, 3rd Duke of Lennox (1579–1624), Scottish nobleman, younger son of the above
- Esmé Stewart, 2nd Duke of Richmond, 5th Duke of Lennox (1649–1660), Scottish duke, grandson of 3rd Duke of Lennox
- Esmé Collings (1859–1936), English photographer, miniaturist and early film pioneer
- Esmé Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Penrith (1863–1939), British diplomat, Ambassador to the United States
- Esmé Cecil Wingfield-Stratford (1882–1971), English historian and writer
- Esme Percy (1887–1957), British actor
- Esme Haywood (1900–1985), English cricketer
- Esmé Gordon (1910–1993), Scottish architect
- Esme Mends (born 1986), Ghanaian football player
Women
editIn order of birth:
- Esmè Stuart, pen name of Amélie Claire Leroy (1851–1934), English writer
- Esme Church (1893–1972), British actress and theatre director
- Esmé Wynne-Tyson (1898–1972), English actress and writer
- Esme Roberts (1911–1995), British artist
- Esme Grant (1920-1987), Jamaican politician
- Esme Mackinnon (1913-1999), British skier
- Esmé Hooton (1914–1992), English poet
- Esme Tombleson (1917–2010), New Zealand politician
- Esme Melville (1918–2006), Australian actress
- Esme Langley (1919–1991), British writer
- Esmée Fairbairn, eponym of British charity the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
- Esme Irwin (1931–2001), British cricket player
- Esmé Emmanuel (born 1947), South African tennis player
- Esme Young (born 1949), English fashion designer
- Esme Steyn (born 1953), South African lawn bowler
- Esmé Wiegman (born 1975), Dutch politician
- Esmé Bianco (born 1982), British actress, model, and performer
- Esmé Kamphuis (born 1983), Dutch bobsledder
- Esmé Patterson (born 1985), American musician
- Esmée Denters (born 1988), Dutch singer
- Esmé Creed-Miles (born 2000), English actress
Fictional characters
edit- Esme & Roy's eponymous character
- Esmé Howe-Nevinson, a painter in Elizabeth Taylor's 1957 novel Angel.
- Esme, John Shelby's Gypsy wife in the TV series Peaky Blinders.
- Esme Macknade, a regular character in the long-running BBC Radio 4 First World War drama Home Front.
- Esme, in William Gaddis' 1955 novel The Recognitions.
- Esmé, in J. D. Salinger's short story "For Esmé – with Love and Squalor".
- Esmé Kipps, in Susan Hill's novel The Woman in Black.
- Esmé Amarinth, in the novel The Green Carnation.
- Esme Cuckoo, a mutant in the Marvel Universe.
- Esme Cullen, a vampire in the Twilight series.
- Esme Murray, in the sitcom Hamish Macbeth.
- Esme Prince, a character in the soap opera General Hospital.
- Esme, Mr. Hennessey's serpentine pet in the movie Foul Play; she destroys a roll of film needed as evidence by pushing it into the fireplace.
- Esmé Squalor, a villainess in Lemony Snicket's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events.
- Esme Vanderheusen, in the soap opera Passions.
- Esme Weatherwax, a witch in the Discworld series.
- Esme Watson, in the Australian TV series A Country Practice.
- Anna Preston's birth mother in the novel When Marnie Was There (renamed Emily in the Ghibli film).
- Esme Song, in the Canadian teen drama Degrassi: Next Class.
- Esmé, a name given to a murderous hyena of indeterminate gender in a Saki story.
- Esme, a character in CW’s Supergirl Season 6.
- Esme Lennox, the eponymous heroine of Maggie O'Farrell's 2006 novel The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox.
- Esme Nicoll, the protagonist of The Dictionary of Lost Words novel by Pip Williams[5]
References
edit- ^ John Orr, Words and Sounds: in English and French, 1953, p.114, quoted in [1]
- ^ a b Sandel, Abby (22 October 2012). "Esme: Baby Name of the Day". Appellation Mountain.
- ^ G. E. Cokayne, The Complete Peerage, n.s., vol.7, p.604, note (a)
- ^ "The 100 Most Popular British Baby Names".
- ^ Williams, Pip (2020). The Dictionary of Lost Words (1st ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-593-16019-0.
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