Essence

Essence - A very unique female name

Essence appeared on the charts for the first time in 1977 on position #3057. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Essence and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Essence? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Essence. The baby girl name Essence was given to 143 baby girls in 2025, ranking #1186 on the national girl baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 9,115 baby girls were given this name - making this a very unique female name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Essence peaked in popularity 28 years ago in 1998 on position 442.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Essence, 1-5?

Essence is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Essence is currently topping the baby name charts in Arkansas at position #513 - and is the least popular in California at position #2,340.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Essence is where you live.

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Essence origin and meaning

English word name

The English word essence, 'the intrinsic nature of a thing', from Latin essentia

Essence is a modern English word name that rose with the abstract-noun naming wave of the 1990s, peaking in 1998. It shares its name with Essence magazine, founded in 1970 for Black women readers, which many American bearers' parents would have known. Use dipped and has lately edged back up.

Attested etymology

Essence is a 7 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Essence, pop culture references for the name Essence and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Essence

We've found the following names that sound similar to Essence, sorted by popularity.

Essance /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Essence

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Essence a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique female name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Essence?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

ESS-ence · /ˈɛsəns/

Around the world

No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.

Spellings and nicknames

• Essense — Phonetic respelling in the data

Nicknames: Essie

Famous bearers

None yet — no bearer for this name is documented well enough for us to list, so we show none rather than pad the list.

Style

Word name

Why parents choose it

Essence is chosen as a statement word name — distinctive and self-defining — by parents comfortable with a name that is also a common noun.

Worth knowing

• The magazine of the same name is the dominant reference point for many adults