Given name & surname
Ester
“woman from the East”·“myrtle”·“resembling the myrtle leaf”
Ester has a related form in Esta. One Italian interpretation is “woman from the East.” Ester is a variant of Esther. Interpretations include “myrtle” (Persian) and “resembling the myrtle leaf” (Persian). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Ester has a related form in Esta. One Italian interpretation is “woman from the East.” Ester is a variant of Esther. Interpretations include “myrtle” (Persian) and “resembling the myrtle leaf” (Persian). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Ester has a related form in Esta. An origin associated with Esta is Italian. Ester is a variant of Esther. A possible origin is Persian, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Indonesian usage, Ester developed from Ἐσθήρ.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Ester is a variant of Esther. The history of Esther gives this family its wider story. Esther appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Ester through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 17,156
- 891 boys · 16,265 girls
- Most popular year
- 1925
- 307 babies
- 2025
- 134
- #1,574 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +18%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 0% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 134 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,574 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 18.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 281 in 1925. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (16). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 15,869 as a first name in 2020; 1,978 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.
Ester’s family of names
In Finnish usage, Ester has a diminutive in ESSI. Ester shares a linguistic root with Esther. In Estonian usage, Ester has a related form in Esta.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ester has relatives in 16 languages.
11 related names in 16 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 6
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Ester
- Ester LedeckáCzech snowboarder and skierborn 1995
- Ester ExpósitoSpanish actressborn 2000
- Ester PeonyRomanian singer and songwriterborn 1993
- Ester DeanAmerican singer and songwriterborn 1982
- Ester MägiEstonian composer (1922-2021)
- Ester BoserupDanish economist (1910–1999)
- Ester Martin BergsmarkSwedish film director and screenwriterborn 1982
- Ester WorkelDutch rowerborn 1975
- Ester Šimerová-MartinčekováSlovak painter and artist (1909-2005)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ester, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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