Given name & surname
Aster
“of the stars; as bright as a star”
Aster is a variant of Astra. One Latin interpretation is “of the stars; as bright as a star.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Aster is a variant of Astra. One Latin interpretation is “of the stars; as bright as a star.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Aster is a variant of Astra. An origin associated with Astra is Latin.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
From German Aster, from Middle High German agelster (“a magpie”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Aster through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,108
- 356 boys · 752 girls
- Most popular year
- 2022
- 114 babies
- 2025
- 100
- #2,935 for girls · #2,888 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +119%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 57 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,935 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 71.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 43 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Washington had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,114 as a first name in 2020; 279 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Aster’s family of names
In German usage, Aster shares an earlier linguistic root with Star. Aster has a related form in Astra. In Polish usage, Aster shares an earlier linguistic root with Stela.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Aster has relatives in 3 languages.
4 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Aster
- Aster VranckxBelgian footballer (born 2002)
- Aster AwekeEthiopian singer who sings in Amharicborn 1959
- Aster Gebrekirstosscientist, tropical forest ecologist, professorborn 1901
- Aster Mamopolitician
- Aster FissehatsionEritrean politicianborn 1951
- Aster YohannesEritrean politicianborn 1950
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Aster, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Oakley
“from the field of oak trees” · “from the meadow of oak trees”
35% boys · 65% girls
Leighton
“from the town near the meadow”
26% boys · 74% girls
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“wise one; type of spice”
32% boys · 68% girls
Murphy
“daughter of a great sea warrior” · “a warrior of the sea”
38% boys · 62% girls
Ashe
“from the ash tree”
56% boys · 44% girls
Ocean
“sea”
56% boys · 44% girls
Morgen
“circling the bright sea; a sea dweller”
38% boys · 62% girls
Campbell
“having a crooked mouth”
46% boys · 54% girls