Given name & surname
Esther
“myrtle”·“resembling the myrtle leaf”
Esther is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “myrtle” (Persian) and “resembling the myrtle leaf” (Persian). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Persianستاره
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “myrtle” (Persian) and “resembling the myrtle leaf” (Persian). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Persian, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
In English usage, Esther developed from Ἐσθήρ.
The story
The name appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Esther appears in Esther 9:26, Esther 2:7, Esther 10:3 and 1 other passage.
- Esther 9:26
- Esther 2:7
- Esther 10:3
- Esther 2:15
From biblical name research
Esther through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 272,206
- 972 boys · 271,234 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 6,588 babies
- 2025
- 2,277
- #119 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +15%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 2,277 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 119 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 15.3% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 6,574 in 1918. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (428). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 131,090 as a first name in 2020; 708 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.
Esther’s family of names
In English usage, Esther has a diminutive in Essie. Esther shares a linguistic root with Ester. In Dutch usage, Esther has a related form in Hester.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Esther has relatives in 56 languages. Lines run from its Persian roots to each of them.
Persianwhere Esther comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 15
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 30
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- ستارهcognate · Persian
- Stardoublet · English
- Estasee also · Swahili
- EsteraPolish, Slovene
- אסתרequivalent
- Stèrequivalent
- ЭсфирьRussian
- ЭстерRussian
Show 22 moreShow fewer
- Esfirequivalent
- EstereLatvian
- אסתּרYiddish
- ԵսթերArmenian
- எஸ்தர்Tamil
- ΕσθήρGreek
- ʻEkekelaHawaiian
- EsteriFinnish
- Ἐσθήρroot · Ancient Greek
- ЕсфирьRussian
- ЕсфирRussian
- AstèrOccitan
- EstèrOccitan
- 以士帖cdo
- EhetereMāori
- EerstaGreenlandic
- エステルJapanese
- אֶסְתֵּרHebrew
- ʻEseteraHawaiian
- ῈσθήρAncient Greek
- ესთერიGeorgian
- EstèHaitian Creole
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Esther
- Esther DufloFrench-American economist (born 1972)
- Esther WilliamsAmerican swimmer, actress and singer (1921–2013)
- Etty HillesumJewish diarist (1914-1943)
- Esther BrandSouth African former athlete (1922–2015)
- Esther LederbergAmerican microbiologist and pioneer of bacterial genetics (1922–2006)
- Esther VilarArgentine writerborn 1935
- Esther VergeerDutch wheelchair tennis playerborn 1981
- Esther Rolleactress (1920-1998)
- Esther OfarimIsraeli singerborn 1941
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Esther, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ruth
“compassion” · “a beloved companion”
>99% girls
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Evelyn
“a birdlike woman” · “a birdlike man”
>99% girls