Esmeralda
Top 1000
About Esmeralda
Esmeralda came into use as an applied use of the Spanish word for emerald, esmeralda. In the 1831 Victor Hugo novel Notre-Dame de Paris, also known as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, the heroine was born Agnes, but called La Esmeralda in reference to the jewel she wears around her neck. The name Esmeralda got increased visibility via the Disney version of the story.
This Portuguese and Spanish version of the jewel-like Emerald has long been popular with Hispanic parents. Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling named their first daughter Esmeralda, inspired by the Victor Hugo novel. Read more about Esmeralda and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.
Pronounced es-muh-RAHL-duh.
As of October 2026, Esmeralda ranked #373 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #133 in 1998, Nameberry popularity #532.
Editor: Sophie Kihm
Sources: US popularity data is from the Social Security Administration. Meanings and origins are from Nameberry's name references.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #377 | 867 | 485.3 |
| 2015 | #370 | 883 | 494.7 |
| 2016 | #377 | 869 | 490.4 |
| 2017 | #378 | 821 | 475.5 |
| 2018 | #377 | 832 | 489.1 |
| 2019 | #379 | 825 | 491.5 |
| 2020 | #394 | 790 | 488.7 |
| 2021 | #450 | 695 | 423.6 |
| 2022 | #371 | 853 | 520.1 |
| 2023 | #342 | 907 | 565.3 |
| 2024 | #350 | 891 | 549.9 |
| 2025 | #373 | 823 | 512 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Esmeralda.
- Violetta
- Tatiana
- Morgana
- Cynthia
- Alithea
- Celestina
- Hera
- Valeria
- Olympia
- Valentina
- Sapphira
- Camellia
- Narcissa
- Marina
- Hermione
- Selene
- Gaia
- Jessamine
- Hasani
- Valencia
Esmeralda on lists
Famous Esmeraldas
- (María) Esmeralda Pimentel
Mexican actress
- Esmeralda "Es" Devlin
British costume designer
- Esmeralda Santiago
Puerto Rican novelist and actress
- Esmeralda Labye
Belgian TV journalist
- Esmeralda de Jesus Freitas Garcia
Brazilian track athlete
- Esmeralda Alejandrina Yaniche
Venezuelan beauty queen
- Esmeralda Amada Gosling
daughter of Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes
Esmeralda in pop culture
- Esmeralda
character in book/film "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"
- Esmeralda
Frank's young cousin in "The Wasp Factory," by Iain Banks
- Esmeralda
character on TV's "Bewitched"
- Esmeralda (Took) Brandybuck
hobbit mentioned in "The Lord of the Rings" series
- Esmeralda Hallow
older sister of Ethel and Sybil on BBC's "The Worst Witch"
- Lucille Esmeralda "Lucy" Ricardo
titular character of the show "I Love Lucy"
Variations & nicknames
- IsmeraldaSpanish