Hester
Feminine · “a form of Esther”
Hester is given to both — 14,227 girls and 537 boys since 1880. See Hester as a boy nameSee other names given to both
Hester is the English form of Esther, a name of queens and heroines, carried in American literature by the woman who wore the scarlet letter. It is two syllables, strong and unhurried.
How old is the name Hester?
Hester was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Hester alive today was born around 1920, making them about 105 years old. About 2,600 people named Hester are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Hester most popular?
Hester peaked in 1881, reaching #201 nationally. Today it ranks #14942, 14,741 places below that high. See the whole 1881 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Esther to Hester
The story of Hester
In Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is condemned by her Puritan town to wear a scarlet A, and she wears it with such dignity that it comes to mean something else entirely. Lady Hester Stanhope, niece of the prime minister William Pitt, left England for the Levant, lived among the Druze in the mountains of Lebanon, and led a dig at Ashkelon guided by a medieval manuscript, one of the first excavations in the Holy Land. The name is recorded for a very few boys, but it is a woman's name everywhere.
Meaningscholars disagree
a form of Esther, often read as star
Hester is a medieval English form of Esther, a Persian name often linked to a word for star, or to the goddess Ishtar; the source is argued.
How the name formed
- Esther
- Hester
Related forms: Ester · Esther · Hester
Pronouncing Hester
HES-ter
Two syllables, stressed on the first.
Nicknames for Hester
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
- 1920362 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #201reached in 1881
- Change vs 2019
- −28.6%5 in 2025, 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.
Hester in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ester in Hebrew — related form
- Esther in English — related form
- Hester in Dutch — same name
Hesters among us
people named Hester are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 321,453 born in 2025 was named Hester
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
Hester sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Hester beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Hester in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- It carries a long literary and historical tradition.
- Hettie and Hessie give warm short forms.
- It is almost never given now, so it stands out.
- Many will think first of The Scarlet Letter.
- It sounds old-fashioned to many ears.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Hester to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Hester? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Hester
Feminine · #14942 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Hesters are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,600 people named Hester are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Hester in 2025?
- Hester ranks #14942 among US girl names in 2025, with 5 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Hester?
- About 1 in every 321,453 US girls born in 2025 was named Hester — 5 in all.
- Will my child share the name Hester with classmates?
- Hester will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Hester
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Lyda#14942 · Zula#14942 · Zona#14942 · Ula#14942 · Belva#14942 · Lucetta#14942 · Leala#14942 · Martie#14942
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Hester? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Hester and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle