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:
- In 2021: Ranesmae (total count of 5 babies so far)
- In 2017: Renessmae (8)
- In 2014: Ranezmay (12), Renezme (11)
- In 2013: Renesmay (95), Renezmee (28), Renezmay (18), Ranezmae (27)
- In 2012: Renesmae (338), Renezmae (166)
- In 2009: Renesme (164)
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]