Diminutive of Esther, from Persian meaning star.
Essie began its life as a pet form of Esther, one of the great names of the Hebrew Bible. Esther — likely from the Persian 'stara' meaning star, or possibly a Hebrew adaptation of the Babylonian goddess name Ishtar — belonged to the Jewish queen who saved her people from genocide in the court of King Ahasuerus, a story of courage and strategic wisdom celebrated in the festival of Purim. To carry a diminutive of that name is to carry an echo of that fearlessness in a softer register.
Essie flourished as a given name in its own right through the Victorian and Edwardian eras, when nicknames were frequently registered as formal names. In Black American communities particularly, Essie became a name of warmth and dignity — borne by women of the Jim Crow era who built families, churches, and community institutions under conditions of profound adversity. The name carries that layered history: genteel on the surface, steely underneath.
Essie Mae Washington-Williams, the secret daughter of Senator Strom Thurmond who only revealed her parentage after his death in 2003, carried the name with particular grace through one of American history's most painful ironies. Today Essie is experiencing a confident revival as part of the broader return to Victorian nickname-names. It shares the revival stage with Ellie, Millie, Hattie, and Nell. Essie's particular appeal is its vintage warmth combined with an easy, breezy modernity — two syllables that feel like a grandmother's nickname and a fresh discovery at the same time.