Fun Facts About the Name Esa
- 768 babies named Esa: U.S. records list 768 babies given the name Esa from 1880 through 2025. Even 109 girls received the name Esa - about 1 girl for every 6 boys.
What Does the Name Esa Mean?
Esa belongs to two separate naming traditions. In Finland it is a short form of Esaias, the Finnish form of the prophet Isaiah's name, from Hebrew יְשַׁעְיָהוּ (Yeshayahu). That Hebrew name joins the root y-sh-ʿ, "to save, deliver," with the divine name, so its literal sense is "Yahweh is salvation."
In Arabic and other Muslim traditions, Esa is a transliteration of عيسى (ʿĪsā), the name the Quran gives to Jesus. Many explanations treat ʿĪsā as a form of the same Semitic salvation name behind Hebrew יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshua), "Yahweh saves," carried into Arabic through Aramaic and Syriac; others connect it instead with the name Esau (Hebrew עֵשָׂו, ʿĒsāw). No single derivation is universally accepted.
Esa Name History & Origins
In Finland, Esa is a familiar form of Esaias that has long been used on its own rather than only as a nickname. It is a common Finnish given name, borne by the conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, the ice hockey player Esa Tikkanen, and the philosopher Esa Saarinen. Finnish emigrants carried the name to North America, where it remains most often identified with Finland.
The Arabic name ʿĪsā, spelled Esa in some transliterations and Isa, Eesa, or Eissa in others, is the Quranic name of Jesus, son of Mary, whom the text calls ʿĪsā ibn Maryam and mentions repeatedly. Through the spread of Islam the name entered use from North Africa and the Middle East to South and Southeast Asia; Turkish writes it İsa, Somali writes Ciise, and Indonesian and Malay write Isa. In Arabic-speaking Christian communities, Jesus is usually called Yasūʿ rather than ʿĪsā, so the two names, though referring to the same figure, follow different lines of transmission.
How Popular is the Name Esa?
Esa has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2025. Its best rank was #2,546 in 2025.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #12,299 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #11,376 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2023 | #12,532 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #11,527 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #11,432 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #13,960 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #11,687 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #14,348 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #17,060 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #15,176 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2012 | #13,947 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #18,013 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #16,256 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #10,892 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #7,122 | 7 | 0.0005% |
| 1968 | #7,339 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1967 | #6,254 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,546 | 52 | 0.0030% |
| 2024 | #2,956 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 2023 | #2,589 | 51 | 0.0030% |
| 2022 | #3,429 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2021 | #2,665 | 48 | 0.0027% |
| 2020 | #2,701 | 46 | 0.0027% |
| 2019 | #3,008 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 2018 | #3,317 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2017 | #3,399 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 2016 | #3,125 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 2015 | #4,591 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2014 | #3,641 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2013 | #3,688 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 2012 | #5,101 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2011 | #6,348 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #4,894 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2009 | #6,547 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2008 | #7,872 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2007 | #6,369 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 2006 | #8,208 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #6,776 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #8,070 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2002 | #9,750 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #7,766 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #7,007 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1997 | #7,538 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1995 | #6,578 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #8,846 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #6,433 | 7 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Esa Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are fine when in harmony but changeable when in discord, because many of your best qualities are then reversed. You are entertaining but may be impulsive. Freedom is a necessity, and you find it difficult to settle down. Your versatility results in many changes, and often brings travel. Your fine intellect is capable of high honors if applied seriously. You are capable of inspired thinking applied to material things. You can be restless, changeable, and very sexy. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Esa's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Esa's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.