Chester

“Fort, encampment” — Latin, via Old English origin

Boy's name · #1588 in the US (2025) · Heirloom

Chester is an heirloom: its strongest era came around 1919, when it ranked #53. It has thinned since but never left the records — about 121,000 boys since 1880, ranked #1588 today. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. Chet is a short form of Chester.

Around the world: about 1 in 700 boys in England & Wales (2025) · about 1 in 1,200 boys in New Zealand (2025) · about 1 in 2,800 boys in Scotland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 8 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Chesters

Chester A. Arthur — president of the United States from 1881 to 1885
Chester Bennington — American singer, songwriter and musician (1976–2017)
Chester W. Nimitz — United States Navy fleet admiral (1885–1966)
Chester Morris — American actor (1901–1970)
Chester Carlson — American physicist (1906-1968)

In stories & tradition

Chester Cheetah — advertising character
Chester Lake — Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Chester McBadbat — character

What Chesters become

Among 473 notable people named Chester:

Political leaders appear 1.85× more often than among typical names — e.g. Chester A. Arthur, president of the United States from 1881 to 1885.

Similar names: Chet · Arnold · Cecil · Virgil · Lester · Luther

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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