Esther
Feminine
Esther is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 271,234 girls against 972 boys since 1880. See Esther as a boy name
The book of Esther never mentions God. It is the only book in the Hebrew Bible that does not — no prayer, no covenant, no divine intervention, just a court, a plot and a woman who saves her people by timing — and that silence nearly kept it out of the canon.
How old is the name Esther?
Esther was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Esther alive today was born around 1930, making them about 95 years old. About 106,000 people named Esther are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Esther most popular?
Esther peaked in 1896, reaching #27 nationally. Today it ranks #119, 92 places below that high. See the whole 1896 chart.
Where it comes from
From a name that may be Persian or Babylonian to Esther
The story of Esther
The argument about the book went on for centuries. It is set entirely in a foreign court, its heroine marries a gentile king, it contains no religious observance of any kind, and the only fragment of Hebrew scripture found at Qumran that is missing is this one. Later editors were uncomfortable enough to add Greek passages full of prayers, which is how the Catholic version of the book got longer than the Jewish one. The Hebrew text was left alone, godless and unbothered, and it is a better story for it.
Meaningnot established
Not established
The name may be Persian, from a word for a star, and it may be Babylonian, from the goddess Ishtar; the woman in the book also has a Hebrew name, Hadassah, which means a myrtle. Both explanations have been in circulation for two thousand years and neither can be settled. A name with two candidate origins in two dead languages is in about as difficult a position as etymology gets.
Cultural footprint
Esther Duflo (b. 1972) — Nobel-winning economist who studies how to fight poverty
Esther Williams (b. 1921) — Swimming champion turned Hollywood's "Million Dollar Mermaid"
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
How the name formed
- a name that may be Persian or Babylonian
- the book of Esther written without a mention of God
- Greek editors add prayers to make it acceptable
- the Hebrew text is kept as it stands
- an American peak at the end of the nineteenth century and a revival now
Related forms: Ester · Ester · Esther
Pronouncing Esther
ESS-tur
Two syllables, stress at the front. The th is said as a plain t in Hebrew and in most European languages, and English is the outlier in sounding it.
Nicknames for Esther
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 19186,574 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #27reached in 1896
- Change vs 2022
- +9.1%2,277 in 2025, from 2,088
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Esther in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ester in Hebrew — same name
- Ester in Spanish — same name
- Esther in French — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, New Jersey, California.
Esthers among us
people named Esther are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 706 born in 2025 was named Esther
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Esther has held the top-100 across 6 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Esther is headed
Esther should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Esther beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Esther in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It is short, established and used without alteration across most of Europe.
- Essie is available and is thoroughly current again.
- It is one of the few biblical women's names with a whole book to itself.
- There is no settled meaning and two candidate languages.
- It is rising quickly, so it will be commoner among her contemporaries than in the record.
- It reads as a great-grandmother's name to anybody who has not noticed the revival.
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What they receive
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Esther
Feminine · #119 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Esthers are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 106,000 people named Esther are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Esther in 2025?
- Esther ranks #119 among US girl names in 2025, with 2,277 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Esther?
- About 1 in every 706 US girls born in 2025 was named Esther — 2,277 in all.
- Will my child share the name Esther with classmates?
- Esther will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Esther
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Brooklyn#118 · Hallie#120 · Alaia#117 · Hadley#121 · Raelynn#116 · Emerson#122 · Eliza#115 · Elsie#123
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Esther? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Esther and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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