At a Glance
- Meaning
- Shortened from the surname Gillespie, roughly 'servant of the bishop'
- Origin
- Scottish Gaelic (via Gillespie)
- Gender
- Girl
- Pronunciation
- ESS-pee
Espy is a Scottish Gaelic (via Gillespie) girl's name meaning “shortened from the surname Gillespie, roughly 'servant of the bishop'”. It appears in our list of 200+ Gorgeous Girl Names That End in Ie or Y (Totally Cute and Feminine).
Meaning & Origin of Espy
Meaning: Shortened from the surname Gillespie, roughly 'servant of the bishop'.
Origin: Scottish Gaelic (via Gillespie).
A common claim: Espy is sometimes said to come from Old French for 'to spy' or 'watch' Actually: Wiktionary documents Espy instead as a shortened form of the surname Gillespie ('servant of the bishop'), unrelated to the verb 'to spy.'
Source: Wiktionary.
How to Pronounce Espy
ESS-peeIPA /ˈɛspi/
Popularity of Espy
Espy doesn’t appear in U.S. Social Security birth records, which include every name given to at least five babies in a year — so it’s rare in the U.S.
Lists That Include Espy
Similar Names
Eulalie · Elodie · Filly · Dorcey · Floraly · Deenie
