Given name & surname · also Latin
Kester
“from the Roman army's camp”·“a follower of Christ”
Kester is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “from the Roman army's camp” and “a follower of Christ”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “from the Roman army's camp” and “a follower of Christ”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
How it developed
Kester is used as a form of Christopher.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1913. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kester through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 335
- 335 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1915
- 17 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 7 in 2018. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 17 in 1915. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 540 as a first name in 2020; 6,204 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.
Kester’s family of names
In English usage, Kester is a diminutive of Christopher. Kester has a related form in Kestar. Kester is a form of Christopher.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
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 23
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Cristobalequivalent
- Kristoferequivalent
- Christoferequivalent
- Christophequivalent
- Kristofferequivalent
- Krzysztofequivalent
- Christofequivalent
- Christofferequivalent
Show 15 moreShow fewer
Similar names
If you love Kester, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kermit
“one who is free of envy”
>99% boys
Dunbar
“from the castle at the headland”
>99% boys
Balfour
“from the grazing land”
>99% boys
Moffett
“field, plain”
>99% boys
Dorsey
“from the fortress near the sea”
87% boys · 13% girls
Gilmore
“a servant of the Virgin Mary”
>99% boys
Ennis
“from the market town” · “from the island; the only choice”
>99% boys
Chester
“from the camp of the soldiers”
>99% boys