Esperansa
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "hope".
Name Census estimates that about 373 living Americans carry the first name Esperansa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Esperansa today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Esperansa births was 2000 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Esperansa. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
373
~ 1 in 918,912 Americans
Peak year
2000
20 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2012 SSA rank
#17,700
Tracked since 1920
Census
Esperansa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 457 people with the first name Esperansa, which placed it at #21,974 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#21,974
National first-name rank
People counted
457
457 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
93.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Esperansa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Esperansa is Hispanic at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Esperansa described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Esperansa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.7% · 428
- White4.6% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 3
Popularity
Esperansa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Esperansa from the 1920s through to the 2010s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 112 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Esperansa by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Esperansa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Esperansas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Esperansa
The name Esperansa is of Spanish origin, derived from the word "esperanza," which means "hope" in the language. Its roots can be traced back to the Latin word "sperare," meaning "to hope" or "to expect." This name gained popularity during the medieval period in Spain and was often given to children as a symbol of the hope and optimism that parents had for their future.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Esperansa can be found in the 13th century in the works of the Spanish poet and philosopher, Ramon Llull. He used the name as a personification of hope in his allegorical writings, further solidifying its association with this virtuous concept.
The name Esperansa also holds significance in religious contexts. In Christianity, hope is considered one of the three theological virtues, along with faith and charity. As such, the name was embraced by devout families as a reflection of their spiritual beliefs and aspirations.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Esperansa. One such figure is Esperansa Malchi (c. 1370-1440), a Catalan poet and writer who was celebrated for her lyrical compositions and contributions to the literary arts during the Renaissance period in Spain.
Another noteworthy bearer of the name is Esperansa Spalding (born 1984), an American jazz bassist, singer, and composer. She has won numerous accolades, including four Grammy Awards, for her innovative and genre-blending musical works.
In the realm of literature, Esperansa Romero (1917-2020) was a renowned Cuban author and poet. Her works often explored themes of identity, feminism, and social justice, earning her widespread recognition and numerous literary awards.
The name Esperansa also has a rich historical presence in Latin American culture. Esperansa Donoso (1951-2022) was a Chilean journalist and human rights activist who played a crucial role in documenting and raising awareness about the atrocities committed during the Pinochet regime.
Lastly, Esperansa Martínez (1905-1995) was a Mexican artist and muralist whose vibrant and socially conscious works contributed significantly to the Mexican Muralism movement of the 20th century.
These examples demonstrate the diverse and inspiring individuals who have carried the name Esperansa throughout history, each leaving an indelible mark on their respective fields and embodying the spirit of hope that the name represents.
People
Esperansa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Esperansa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Esperansa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Esperansa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 373 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Esperansa going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 918,912 US residents.
Is Esperansa a common name?
We classify Esperansa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 503 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Esperansa most popular?
The single biggest year for Esperansa was 2000, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Esperansa is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Esperansa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 457 people with the name Esperansa, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,974 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Esperansa in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Esperansa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Esperansa appears almost entirely female. Of the 454 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Esperansa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Esperansa is Hispanic at 93.7%. The next largest groups are White (4.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Esperansa most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Esperansa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (428 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Esperansa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Esperansa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Esperansa in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Esperansa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Esperansa in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Esperansa can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Esperansa?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.