girl's name

Hester

  • Origin Dutch
  • Gender Girl
  • Syllables 2
  • Letters 6
  • Popularity Rare
  • Births on record 15,253

Ireland

#574

1977 births

Hester is a girl's name with 2 syllables. In 2025 it was given to 5 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.

  • Hester is a name of Dutch origin.
  • Peaked in 1918, when 407 babies were given the name.
  • After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
  • Today about 1 in 663,130 babies in the United States is given this name.
  • 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.

Hester over time

Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.

3,249
'80 '90 '00 '10 '20 '30 '40 '50 '60 '70 '80 '90 '00 '10 '20
Show the numbers
Births named Hester by decade in the United States
Decade Births
1880s 796
1890s 1,416
1900s 1,700
1910s 3,249
1920s 3,180
1930s 1,631
1940s 1,184
1950s 776
1960s 348
1970s 244
1980s 154
1990s 49
2000s 15
2010s 12
2020s (to 2025) 10

How popular is Hester?

In 2025, Hester was given to 5 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.

Where Hester is used

Ireland #574 3 in 1977
Scotland #726 3 in 1997
England & Wales #1,954 15 in 2025
United States #16,099 5 in 2025

The bar shows how near the top of each country's list the name sits, on a scale where #1 fills the row and #1,000 is a sliver. The figures beside it are the real rank and the babies recorded that year.

US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.

Names that peaked alongside Hester

These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.

Parents who like Hester also like

Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Hester over the last century — the same taste, a different name.

Sibling names for Hester

Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Hester — the two things that make a sibling set grate.

Common questions about Hester

How popular is the name Hester?

In 2025, Hester was given to 5 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.

Is Hester a girl's or a boy's name?

Hester is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.

How many syllables are in Hester?

Hester has 2 syllables.

When was Hester most popular?

Hester peaked in 1918, when 407 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.

Is Hester a good name?

That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Hester currently ranks #1,954 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.