View Message

Here in South Africa, Esme is spelt like that: one e, no diacrital. And it is always, always feminine, and always pronounced EZmay.
It's a family name, and also the name of one of the best teachers I've ever had, so I've got many positive associations with it. I'd use it as a mn quite willingly.

---

In general, South Africans used to be pretty bad at French: the European language most frequently taught in schools was traditionally German. This is changing, and perhaps future generations will give Esme an Esmée makeover, though Desiree is seldom if ever Desirée here.