Boy · Hebrew
Esau
Say it: EE-saw
Meaning
Uncertain. Genesis links him to being hairy and red, but the name's own etymology is unknown.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Found occasionally in Puritan and 18th-century records.
Its wave through time
Most used in the 1880s
In the United States
- 2,786 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 1880, about 1 in 22,100 boys
- 37 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
| French | Ésaü |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Esaú |
| Italian | Esaù |
| German | Esau |
| Hebrew | Esav |
Famous bearers
- Esau, elder twin brother of Jacob
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament
- Puritan church and town records of England and New England
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.