Finesse
Skillful handling or movement; subtle and adroit maneuvering.
Name Census estimates that about 233 living Americans carry the first name Finesse. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 80.6% of registrations being female. The average person named Finesse today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Finesse births was 1989 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Finesse. 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
233
~ 1 in 1,471,049 Americans
Peak year
1989
18 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,071
Tracked since 1953
Census
Finesse in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 239 people with the first name Finesse, which placed it at #34,236 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
#34,236
National first-name rank
People counted
239
239 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
68.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Finesse
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Finesse is Black at 68.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and White (7.5%). 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 Finesse 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 Finesse at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American68.2% · 163
- Hispanic or Latino13.0% · 31
- White7.5% · 18
- Two or more races6.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 5
Gender
Gender distribution for Finesse
Finesse leans heavily female at 80.6% of total registrations, but 47 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Finesse as a male name
- Ranked #10,071 in 2023
- 7 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2020 (9 births)
Finesse as a female name
- Ranked #15,121 in 2015
- 6 female births in 2015
- Peak: 1989 (18 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Finesse on both sides of the split. Of the 232 people counted with this name, 65 were male (28.0%) and 167 were female (72.0%).
Popularity
Finesse: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Finesse from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 87 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Finesse 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 Finesse during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Finesses live
Origin
Meaning and history of Finesse
The given name Finesse has its roots in the French language, originating from the Old French word "fin," meaning "refined" or "subtle." This name likely emerged during the Middle Ages, when French culture and language were highly influential across Europe.
Finesse initially gained popularity as a descriptive term, often used to refer to someone with skill, grace, and dexterity in their actions or mannerisms. Over time, it transitioned into a personal name, embracing the qualities it represented.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Finesse can be found in the works of the 14th-century French author and poet, Jean Froissart. In his chronicles, he mentions a character named Finesse, embodying the traits of cleverness and subtlety.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Finesse. One of the most prominent was Finesse de Montfort (1265-1317), a French noblewoman known for her diplomatic skills and her involvement in the resolution of conflicts during the Hundred Years' War.
In the realm of literature, Finesse Delacroix (1785-1863) was a renowned French novelist and playwright, acclaimed for her literary finesse and intricate character development.
The name also found its way into the world of art, with Finesse Monet (1840-1926), a French Impressionist painter and daughter of the famous Claude Monet. Her works were celebrated for their delicate brushstrokes and attention to detail.
In the field of music, Finesse Beaumont (1901-1975) was a French classical pianist and composer, known for the finesse and nuance she brought to her performances.
Another notable figure was Finesse Dubois (1920-2005), a French fashion designer who revolutionized haute couture with her refined and elegant creations, embodying the essence of the name Finesse.
While the name has its origins in French language and culture, it has since gained popularity in various parts of the world, transcending linguistic and cultural boundaries, and often serving as a reminder of the qualities it represents: refinement, subtlety, and grace.
People
Finesse + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Finesse as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Finesse: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Finesse?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 233 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Finesse 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 1,471,049 US residents.
Is Finesse a common name?
We classify Finesse as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 242 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Finesse most popular?
The single biggest year for Finesse was 1989, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Finesse is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Finesse in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 239 people with the name Finesse, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,236 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 Finesse 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 Finesse?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Finesse on both sides of the split. Of the 232 people counted with this name, 65 were male (28.0%) and 167 were female (72.0%). 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 Finesse?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Finesse is Black at 68.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and White (7.5%). 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 Finesse most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Finesse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.2% (163 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 Finesse in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Finesse a female name?
Yes, 80.6% of people registered as Finesse 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 Finesse still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Finesse 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 Finesse 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 common is the name Finesse?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Finesse on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.