Esther
Masculine
Esther is given to girls far more often — 271,234 girls against 972 boys since 1880. See Esther as a girl 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 first appears in US birth records in 1890 — 135 years ago. The typical Esther alive today was born around 1929, making them about 96 years old. About 300 people named Esther are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Esther most popular?
Esther peaked in 1895, reaching #501 nationally. See the whole 1895 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.
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
- 1890
- Most boys named
- 193125 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #501reached in 1895
- Change vs 2013
- −28.6%5 in 2022, from 7
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
Esthers among us
people named Esther are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Esther sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
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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Esther
Masculine
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 300 people named Esther are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Esther in 2025?
- Esther is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Esther with classmates?
- Esther will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More E names
The most-given names starting with E, all years combined.
Edward#224 · Eric#273 · Ethan#24 · Eugene#943 · Elijah#7 · Ernest#1038 · Earl#2230 · Evan#153
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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