Essie falls into a category I'd describe, for lack of a better term, Slave Names. Essie, Hattie, Jemima, Mamie, Moses/Mose, Amos, that kind of thing.
Essie could be short for any name with the ess sound, especially a name a little kid couldn't pronounce and ended up with Essie.
Or Estelle, Esther, Essence, Elizabeth?
Nella makes me think of vanilla wafers.
I think, therefore I judge.
This message was edited 12/1/2014, 7:38 AM