How to say it
es · me · RAL · da
/ˌɛz.məˈrɑːl.də/
Feminine
Esmeralda
Emerald
What it means
Spanish for 'emerald,' from the Greek smaragdos by way of Latin.
Esmeralda is the Spanish word for emerald, tracing through Latin to the Greek smaragdos, the green gem. Victor Hugo gave the name to the kind, doomed dancer of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, which fixed it in the romantic imagination. It is lush and ornate, popular across the Spanish-speaking world, and folds neatly into the gentle short Esme. Mera is another option.
Popularity over time
peaked at #133 in 1998, currently #373 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Esme and Mera are the shorts.
- Pop culture
Esmeralda, the dancer of Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Esmeralda the Romani dancer in Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
Spelling variants
- Esmerelda
- Emerald
- Esmaralda
Names with the same feeling
See Esmeralda from another angle
By style