English word origin

Etymology of Esmé

First recorded as a male given name in Scotland in the sixteenth century, probably from French esmé (“esteemed”), or confused with Aimé / Aimée.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

name

A male given name from French. · A female given name from French, simplified spelling of the feminine form Esmée

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

First recorded as a male given name in Scotland in the sixteenth century, probably from French esmé (“esteemed”), or confused with Aimé / Aimée.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Unspecified derivation mentionesméfr

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
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      },
      "expansion": "probably"
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    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "esmé",
        "4": "",
        "5": "esteemed"
      },
      "expansion": "French esmé (“esteemed”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "esmé",
      "esmé#French"
    ],
    [
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      "Aimé#French"
    ],
    [
      "Aimée",
      "Aimée#French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A male given name from French.",
        "A female given name from French, simplified spelling of the feminine form Esmée"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dated"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "6c39222373992f9eda99ce10178d4381e8a0efd2e482586c7d30fd224c27710e",
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

A female given name from Spanish.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of Esmerelda or Esmeralda.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clip of",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Esmerelda,Esmeralda"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of Esmerelda or Esmeralda"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Esmerelda",
      "Esmerelda#English"
    ],
    [
      "Esmeralda",
      "Esmeralda#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A female given name from Spanish."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "012004c131ed410254b242bdbc566e3cf38f616c9d8925ec36e12b374c88531a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "359cd98d9c112686a503b544d4780cfc3940ec0c97406691cdb0d8eac99acf73",
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Esmé →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-RXNtw6k