Given name & surname

Lister

“roman fort”·“a man from Leicester”·“one who is cunning”

In English use, Lister has a related form in Lester. Interpretations include “roman fort” and “a man from Leicester” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions. Lister is a variant of List. One Anglo-Saxon interpretation is “one who is cunning.”

Meaning & origin

What it means

In English use, Lister has a related form in Lester. Interpretations include “roman fort” and “a man from Leicester” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions. Lister is a variant of List. One Anglo-Saxon interpretation is “one who is cunning.”

Explained through its name family

Where it comes from

In English use, Lister has a related form in Lester. A possible origin is English, although the derivation remains uncertain. Lister is a variant of List. An origin associated with List is Anglo-Saxon.

Explained through its name family

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1914. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Lister has a related form in Lester. The history of Lester gives this family its wider story. Lester’s naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.

Combines direct and name-family evidence

Lister through the years

Babies since 1880
128
128 boys · 0 girls
Most popular year
1928
13 babies
2025
0
Outside the ranked list
2021–25 vs 2016–20
—
Too few births to compare
05101520192019401960198020002025Highest share 19140.0
Lister in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1914–2025, per million boys born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1962. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 13 in 1928. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 151 as a first name in 2020; 7,985 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.

Lister’s family of names

Lister has a related form in List. In English usage, Lister has a related form in Lester. In English usage, Lister as a surname has a related form in Lyster.

Walk Lister’s family in the name graph

ListerΛίστερLesterLysterList

Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Nicknames & forms 3

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

Spellings & scripts 1

The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.

Similar names

If you love Lister, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

French · Old-fashioned

Laurent

“a graceful woman”

20RareRising fast

90% boys · 10% girls

German · Vintage revival

Luther

“a soldier of the people”

42UncommonSteady

>99% boys

English · Old-fashioned

Lyle

“from the island”

48UncommonSteady

98% boys · 2% girls

Old-fashioned

Leeroy

Leeroy is a masculine given name.

27RareRising

>99% boys

English · Old-fashioned

Garner

“one who gathers or keeps grain”

22RareSteady

83% boys · 17% girls

French · Old-fashioned

Lowell

“resembling a young wolf”

28RareSteady

99% boys · 1% girls

Old-fashioned

Lavern

Lavern is a unisex given name.

25RareRising

>99% boys

Old-fashioned

Lucious

“surrounded by light”

25RareEasing

>99% boys

Sibling ideas

Names that share Lister’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.