The baby name Hester is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈhɛstər/ (HES-ter).
Hester is English in Origin.
The baby name Hester is a Female name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈhɛstər/ (HES-ter).
Hester is English in Origin.
Hester is the English and Dutch form of Esther, a name of Persian extraction, commonly glossed as “star” from Old Persian stara/setareh; some scholars connect it to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. In the Book of Esther, the heroine’s Hebrew name is Hadassah, “myrtle,” which sometimes travels alongside Hester as a related religious form.
The H- spelling surfaced in early modern England and the Low Countries and became well used among Puritans and Quakers in the 17th century, later familiar via Hawthorne’s Hester Prynne. It persisted in Britain and the Netherlands, faded in America, and now feels like a vintage revival. Variants and cognates include Esther, Ester (Scandinavian/Spanish), Estera (Polish), Eszter (Hungarian), and Hesther; related Hebrew is Hadassah. Nicknames and short forms: Essie, Etty/Ettie, Hetty/Hettie, and Hessie.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | Girls | 1977 | #1 | — | 545 |
| NA | 0 | #33 | 1 | 2,537 | |
| CN | 0 | #86 | 1 | 3,857 | |
| TW | 0 | #103 | 1 | 4,523 | |
| NA | Girls | 0 | #172 | 53 | 7,146 |
| ZA | Girls | 0 | #214 | 2,846 | 25,928 |
| GH | 0 | #248 | 1 | 5,396 | |
| NA | Boys | 0 | #252 | 2 | 6,830 |
| EC | Girls | 0 | #258 | 1 | 3,650 |
| MO | Girls | 0 | #260 | 4 | 7,056 |
| NG | 0 | #272 | 1 | 5,926 | |
| SG | 0 | #279 | 4 | 11,010 | |
| NL | 0 | #282 | 110 | 2,481 | |
| TW | Girls | 0 | #284 | 6 | 8,139 |
| NL | Girls | 0 | #300 | 1,146 | 5,933 |
| ZA | 0 | #307 | 141 | 14,421 | |
| CN | Girls | 0 | #326 | 24 | 8,829 |
| DK | Girls | 0 | #329 | 1 | 7,429 |
| HK | 0 | #334 | 15 | 8,483 | |
| GH | Girls | 0 | #336 | 2 | 6,973 |
| GT | 0 | #338 | 1 | 5,948 | |
| MY | 0 | #348 | 7 | 12,352 | |
| BR | 0 | #360 | 1 | 5,969 | |
| YE | 0 | #397 | 2 | 8,639 | |
| BD | Girls | 0 | #406 | 1 | 8,413 |
| OM | Girls | 0 | #422 | 3 | 15,987 |
| PH | Girls | 0 | #427 | 3 | 13,098 |
| PT | Girls | 0 | #470 | 2 | 7,952 |
| PA | Girls | 0 | #514 | 5 | 9,861 |
| RU | Girls | 0 | #521 | 3 | 11,913 |
| RU | Boys | 0 | #526 | 1 | 12,621 |
| UY | Girls | 0 | #536 | 1 | 6,731 |
| GT | Girls | 0 | #538 | 4 | 7,500 |
| PS | Girls | 0 | #544 | 4 | 10,981 |
| HK | Girls | 0 | #550 | 66 | 16,104 |
| HK | Boys | 0 | #557 | 1 | 12,905 |
| CM | Girls | 0 | #558 | 3 | 11,671 |
| LY | 0 | #559 | 1 | 12,703 | |
| KW | Girls | 0 | #561 | 1 | 19,177 |
| SG | Girls | 0 | #565 | 22 | 18,916 |
| CR | Girls | 0 | #573 | 1 | 11,342 |
| AR | Girls | 0 | #587 | 13 | 8,289 |
| AE | Girls | 0 | #595 | 3 | 20,968 |
| BO | Boys | 0 | #621 | 2 | 9,244 |
| IL | Girls | 0 | #645 | 1 | 11,648 |
| BO | Girls | 0 | #646 | 6 | 9,488 |
| IQ | Boys | 0 | #696 | 2 | 13,071 |
| NG | Girls | 0 | #822 | 5 | 15,093 |
| United States | Girls | 2023 | #910 | 5 | 8,600 |
| CL | Girls | 0 | #910 | 6 | 14,098 |
| BR | Girls | 0 | #924 | 18 | 12,708 |
| PE | Girls | 0 | #929 | 15 | 14,861 |
| MY | Girls | 0 | #961 | 34 | 24,821 |
| Spain | Girls | 0 | #970 | 14 | 5,561 |
| EG | Girls | 0 | #1,008 | 2 | 14,742 |
| SA | Girls | 0 | #1,013 | 2 | 25,931 |
| MX | Boys | 0 | #1,032 | 2 | 16,355 |
| IN | Boys | 0 | #1,038 | 2 | 16,750 |
| CO | Girls | 0 | #1,062 | 17 | 16,140 |
| ZA | Boys | 0 | #1,140 | 39 | 25,619 |
| MX | Girls | 0 | #1,165 | 19 | 17,781 |
| MY | Boys | 0 | #1,181 | 2 | 25,439 |
| MA | 0 | #1,198 | 2 | 20,986 | |
| TR | 0 | #1,254 | 1 | 19,440 | |
| IT | Girls | 0 | #1,420 | 27 | 9,415 |
| SA | Boys | 0 | #1,691 | 1 | 28,008 |
Hester is popular in 45 countries — most recent births per country:
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