How popular is the baby name Renesmae in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Renesmae.

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Popularity of the baby name Renesmae


Posts that mention the name Renesmae

The top girl-name debuts of 2012

lotus bud

Katniss and Daenerys have arrived, you guys! Time to start the party.

The debut name party, that is.

Here are the girl names that debuted the highest on the SSA’s 2012 baby name list:

  1. Kimbella, 52 baby girls
  2. Catalaya, 51
  3. Cattaleya, 45
  4. Daleyza, 41
  5. Aaradhya, 38
  6. Catalia, 34
  7. Katalaya, 32
  8. Katalia, 26
  9. Kattleya, 26
  10. Aayat, 23
  11. Karliah, 23
  12. Daenerys, 21
  13. Catalea, 20
  14. Iviona, 19
  15. Itzae, 18
  16. Kataleah, 17
  17. Kattaleya, 17
  18. Katalea, 16
  19. Nirvi, 15
  20. Brely, 14
  21. Merliah, 14
  22. Aamilah, 13
  23. Anabrenda, 13
  24. Carliana, 13
  25. Kinsler, 13
  26. Lynnley, 13
  27. Abishai, 12
  28. Adylee, 12
  29. Ahri, 12
  30. Brenlynn, 12
  31. Drayah, 12
  32. Jeiza, 12
  33. Katalayah, 12
  34. Kathaleya, 12
  35. Katniss, 12
  36. Sebella, 12
  37. Analeyah, 11
  38. Aubreelynn, 11
  39. Cataleyah, 11
  40. Cateleya, 11
  41. Ireoluwa, 11
  42. Jonier, 11
  43. Nahyla, 11
  44. Noomi, 11
  45. Payzlie, 11
  46. Renesmae, 11
  47. Yandy, 11

And a selection from the 10-babies-and-under group: Scarlettrose, Eevee, Venba, Eponine, Swayzi, Anemone, Aoibheann, Hunnie, Kambreigh, Mlak, Paislyn, Paislynn, Paizly, Parizoda, Adn, Alanoud, Annabellelee, Ayoola, Bellaluna, Callalily, Cataliyah, Catilaya, Catileya, Cymphonique, Eilonwy, Ellyot, Fiore, Goodness, Hannabella, Heartlynn, Inchara, Kymbella, Myjoy, Nymeria, Pfeiffer, Renezmae, Sorella, Timberlynn.

Where do the names above come from?

Here are some likely explanations:

  • Aaradhya – from the daughter of Indian actress Aishwarya Rai. The baby was born in late 2011, but not named until early 2012.
  • Catalaya, Cattaleya, Catalia, Katalaya, Katalia, etc. – variants of Cataleya, which debuted last year. (And which now happens to be skyrocketing in popularity.) Cataleya was a character in the 2011 movie Columbiana.
  • Daenerys – from “Game of Thrones” character Daenerys Targaryen. (Last year’s fifth-highest debut was her title, Khaleesi.)
  • Eponine – from Les Miserables character Eponine Thenardier.
  • Karliah – from a character in the video game Skyrim. (Another Skyrim name we’ve seen used as a baby name is Dovahkiin.)
  • Katniss – from Hunger Games character Katniss Everdeen.
  • Kimbella, Kymbella – from reality show “Love & Hip Hop” cast member Kimberly “Kimbella” Vanderhee.
  • Merliah – from Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2 (2012) character Merliah Summers.
  • Noomi – from Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, who was in the 2011 movies The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
  • Pfeiffer – from Michelle Pfeiffer…?
  • Renesmae, Renezmae – variants of Renesmee, which debuted in 2009. Renesmee is a character in the Twilight series.
  • Sebella – from the daughter of Puerto Rican actress Roselyn Sanchez. The baby was born in early 2012.
  • Yandy – from reality show “Love & Hip Hop” cast member Yandy Smith.

Can you come up with explanations for any of the others?

P.S. Here’s last year’s debut list.

Source: SSA

Image: Adapted from LotusBud0048a (public domain) by Frank “Fg2” Gualtieri

Where did the baby name Renesmee come from in 2009?

The character Renesmee Cullen from "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" (2016).
Renesmee from “Breaking Dawn – Part 2

Stephenie Meyer’s four Twilight books (published yearly from 2005 from 2008) chronicled the romance of teenager Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen. The books proved so popular that were turned into a series of five films (released yearly from 2008 to 2012).

In the world of Twilight, Renesmee is the half-human, half-vampire child of Bella and Edward. She was born in the middle of the final book of the series, Breaking Dawn (2008). On the big screen, Renesmee’s birth was depicted in the fourth film, Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011).

According to Bella herself, the name is pronounced “Ruh-nez-may.” It’s a combination of Renée (the name of Bella’s mother) and Esme (the name of Edward’s adoptive mother).

The first real-life Renesmee I spotted was born in Scotland in 2009. But in mid-2010, when the SSA’s 2009 data was released, we all discovered that more than a dozen U.S. baby girls had been named Renesmee the same year:

  • 2021: 161 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2020: 155 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2019: 143 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2018: 147 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2017: 129 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2016: 154 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2015: 129 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2014: 135 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2013: 135 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2012: 60 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2011: 33 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2010: 47 baby girls named Renesmee
  • 2009: 18 baby girls named Renesmee [debut]
  • 2008: unlisted

Total count so far? 1,446.

The name has never cracked the girls’ top 1,000, but usage remains weirdly strong (given the fact that the Twilight craze has passed), so perhaps it will in the future.

That jump in the usage between 2012 and 2013 was due to the final movie of the series, Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012), in which Renesmee was a young child (as opposed to a newborn).

But that’s not all. A slew of Renesmee variants have cropped up over the years:

Putting all the various spellings together, the grand total is well over than 2,300.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Renesmee?

P.S. The French names Renée and Esmé mean “born again” and “loved,” respectively.

Sources: Wikipedia, SSA
Image: Screenshot of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012)

[Latest update: April 2023]