Given name & surname
Hester
“a starlike woman”
Hester is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “a starlike woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “a starlike woman.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
In English use, Hester is used as a variant of Esther.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In Dutch use, Hester has a related form in 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
Hester through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 14,764
- 537 boys · 14,227 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 407 babies
- 2025
- 5
- #15,770 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 15,770 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 394 in 1918. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,970 as a first name in 2020; 33,543 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.
Hester’s family of names
In English usage, Hester has a diminutive in Hettie. In Dutch usage, Hester has a related form in Esther. In English usage, Hester has a diminutive in HETTY.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Hester
- Lady Hester Stanhopenoblewoman; British aristocrat, antiquarian and archaeologist (1776–1839)
- Hester ThraleWelsh author and salon-holder (1741-1821)
- Hester ChaponeBritish writer1727–1801
- Hester JonasGerman midwife and cunning woman (c. 1570 – 1635)
- Hester FordAmerican supercentenarian1905–2021
- Hester Pitt, Countess of ChathamBritish noblewoman1720–1803
- Hester Maria Elphinstone, Viscountess KeithBritish viscountess1764–1857
- Hester JasperDutch volleyball playerborn 2001
- Hester Rebecca NeppingDutch criminal (1774-1812)
Characters named Hester: Hester Shaw (Mortal Engines), Hester Prynne (protagonist of The Scarlet Letter).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Hester, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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