Esme comes from the Old French esme and means "esteemed" or "beloved". In 16th-century Scotland it was a boys' name, borne by Esme Stewart, Duke of Lennox, and J. D. Salinger's story For Esme, with Love and Squalor gave it literary polish. In the United States Esme entered the top 1000 in 2010, rose from number 681 in 2015 to 298 in 2025 and stands at its highest rank so far.