The name Essien first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in 2006:
- 2008: unlisted
- 2007: 5 baby boys named Essien
- 2006: 6 baby boys named Essien [debut]
- 2005: unlisted
- 2004: unlisted
Where did it come from?
My guess is Ghanaian professional soccer player Michael Essien (pronounced eh-see-ehn), a midfielder who was particularly successful in the mid-aughts.
In 2005, Essien — after winning back-to-back Ligue 1 championships with French football club Olympique Lyonnais — was named Ligue 1 Player of the Year. Over the summer, he was transferred to English football club Chelsea (for a club-record fee of £24.4 million) and went on to win the Premier League championship in 2006.
On the international stage, Essien helped the Ghana national football team qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time ever in 2006. Notably, Ghana was the only African team to reach the second round of the tournament that year.
What are your thoughts on Essien as a first name?
P.S. I’ve added Essien (which is pronounced like the names of the letters s, e, and n) to our growing list of names spelled with names of letters…
Sources:
- Michael Essien – Wikipedia
- Michael Essien – GhanaWeb
- Jackson, Jamie. “The quiet rise of fearless Essien.” Guardian 28 Oct. 2006.
- “Chelsea delight at Essien signing.” BBC Sport 19 Aug. 2005.
- SSA
Image: Adapted from Essien Real Madrid by Ultraslansi under CC BY-SA 3.0.
