Given name & surname
Lester
“roman fort”·“a man from Leicester”
Lester is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “roman fort” and “a man from Leicester” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “roman fort” and “a man from Leicester” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is English, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Lester through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 132,047
- 130,688 boys · 1,359 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 3,265 babies
- 2025
- 103
- #1,641 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +1%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 103 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,641 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 1.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 3,229 in 1918. In 2025, Pennsylvania had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (9). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 47,571 as a first name in 2020; 42,692 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.
Lester’s family of names
In English usage, Lester has a diminutive in Les. Lester has a related form in Lestar. Lester has a related form in Lestir.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 12
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Lesdiminutive · English
- Lustervariant · English
- Lastervariant · English
- Listervariant · English
- Lestterlikely variant
- Lessterlikely variant
- Lestydiminutive · ceb
- Lesturvariant
Show 4 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Lester
- Lester B. Pearson14th Prime Minister of Canada, from 1963 to 1968 (1897–1972)
- Les PaulAmerican jazz guitarist, country guitarist, songwriter and inventor (1915–2009)
- Lester YoungAmerican jazz saxophonist (1909–1959)
- Lester del ReyAmerican science fiction author (1915–1993)
- Lester BirdPrime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda (1938-2021)
- Lester GermerAmerican physicist (1896–1971)
- Lester BangsAmerican music critic and journalist1948–1982
- Lester R. BrownAmerican environmental analystborn 1934
- Les ClarkAmerican animator (1907–1979)
Characters named Lester: Bullseye (Marvel Comics).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Lester, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Elmer
“a renowned and noble man”
>99% boys
Chester
“from the camp of the soldiers”
>99% boys
Webster
“a weaver”
>99% boys
Elton
“a spontaneous woman” · “from the old town”
99% boys · 1% girls
Sumner
“a legal official; one who serves summons”
82% boys · 18% girls
Gardner
“one who works the earth” · “the keeper of the garden”
97% boys · 3% girls
Earl
“a nobleman”
>99% boys
Edmond
“a wealthy protector”
>99% boys