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Nice to see this name once in a while but not too common.

I dislike it

It sounds a bit like a magical character. My mum changed her name to this and then went back to her birth name years later. I think she was thinking in a bit of fantasy. It definitely suits a mature and confident woman, but personally, it sounds dated and fairy-tale like.

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Esme works, though. Has a modern kick to it and would probably stay popular enough for a while.

I really like Esmeralda. I prefer it to Emerald. I especially prefer it to Esme. Esmeralda is gorgeous, extravagant, alluring, and it has that exotic feel and I really like in names. I like the literature association as well. Dramatic and cool.

Can't stand it.

I can't help but think of the Disney movie. Other than that, it has a nice sound. Esme is lovely, though.

Firmly attached to Granny Weatherwax in my head; her personality could have carried off any name, known or unknown, but for the ordinary person it's long and the rhythm makes it sound heavy. I'd use Esme as a mn, for family reasons, but nothing longer than that.

I like it but it seems to be a bit “much” for me to actually use in real life.

I do as well. Sometimes I worry it is too married to a sexualized and racist image due to the pop cultural association to the character Esmeralda in the classic novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, though I'm fairly certain most people associate it with the Disney character these days.. which is still problematic but more watered down.

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Esme really appeals to me. Though I usually favor longer names with shorter nicknames this is a rare example of where I more lean towards the nickname as the legal one. But don't misunderstand me, I still like Esmeralda in full as well. Esme is just the preference in this case.