Esmeray is a Turkish name made up of esmer, dark or brunette, and ay, moon, so it means "dark moon". It is a well-established name in Turkey and has recently caught on with American parents who like Esme and moon names such as Luna. In the United States Esmeray was almost nonexistent in 2018, at number 16440, then jumped to number 3230 in 2021 and to number 1391 in 2025, its best rank by far.