Explore the Family Name Esse

The meaning of Esse

1. Norwegian: habitational name from the farmstead Ese in Sogn of unexplained etymology, or Esse in Telemark, named with Old Norse æsin ‘hill’ + -e from vin ‘meadow’. 2. German: variant of Ess, or a topographic name from the river name Esse in Hesse. 3. English (London): variant of Ash. This surname is now rare in Britain. Some characteristic forenames: Scandinavian Erik.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Esse in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Esse has seen an increase in popularity during the decade from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Esse ranked 48,567 among all surnames but climbed slightly up to 48,436 in 2010, reflecting a growth of 0.27%. Over this same period, the count of people bearing the Esse surname grew by 6.86%, increasing from 408 to 436 individuals. The proportion per 100k population remained stable at 0.15, indicating that this surname's prevalence kept pace with overall population growth.

20002010Change
Rank#48,567#48,4360.27%
Count4084366.86%
Proportion per 100k0.150.150%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Esse

The distribution of ethnic identity among those carrying the Esse surname underwent some notable shifts between 2000 and 2010 according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. While the proportions identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native were suppressed for privacy, we see significant changes elsewhere. The percentage identifying as White decreased from 85.78% to 74.31%, a drop of 13.37%. Meanwhile, there was a dramatic increase in the share identifying as Black, which jumped from 9.07% to 21.79%, an impressive rise of 140.24%. The share identifying with two or more races saw a slight decrease of 6.12%, while the Hispanic proportion declined by 15.19%.

20002010Change
White85.78%74.31%-13.37%
Black9.07%21.79%140.24%
Hispanic2.7%2.29%-15.19%
Two or More Races1.47%1.38%-6.12%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%