Nameberry of the Day: Estée
April 24
Estée Lauder, the American businesswoman behind the eponymous cosmetics company, passed away on April 24, 2004.
Born Josephine Esther Mentzer to Hungarian Jewish immigrants, the name Estee came from Eszti, a Hungarian diminutive of Esther. Estee, which was Lauder’s childhood nickname, stuck even as she grew older, and eventually she added the accent mark to give the name a French flair.
Lauder got her start in cosmetics while working for her uncle, a chemist. She named one of his blends Super Rich All-Purpose Cream and sold it among her friends. In 1953, Lauder sold her first perfume, Youth-Dew.
Estée Lauder’s legacy in the cosmetic and business worlds is unparalleled. In 1998, she was the only woman on Time magazine’s list of the 20 most influential business geniuses of the 20th century.
The name Estée is a diminutive of a handful of different names, all sharing the meaning “star”. In French, which inspired Lauder’s addition of an accent mark to her childhood nickname, Estée is a short form of Estelle. Estee and Estée are also used in Jewish communities as a nickname for Esther.
Despite Estée Lauder’s cosmetics company being a household name, Estée is extremely rare in the US. In 2022, it was given to only 8 baby girls.
Similar sounding Esti, a Basque name meaning “honey”, was used by John Legend and Chrissy Teigen for their daughter born in 2023. Estée and Esti would make adorable nicknames for Estelle, Esther, and Celeste. Or, perhaps try a combination with the initials ST—get it?
We love Estée for its short, spunky sound. Combined with beauty-queen-girl-boss namesake Estée Lauder, this is a name that deserves more notice!
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