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“Variant of Esther — Possibly related to the Persian word for star, or to Ishtar” — Hebrew via Greek origin
Girl's name · #1574 in the US (2025) · Timeless
Ester holds its lane: charted since 1881 and rarely far from where it stands today (#1574 in 2025). About 16,000 girls have carried it along the way. Its center of gravity has moved: strongest in the South in the 1940s and 1950s, strongest in the Northeast today. Ester is the less common spelling of Esther — about 6% of babies given the name are written this way; Esther itself ranked #119 in 2025.
Around the world: #33 in Sweden (2025) · #34 in Czechia (2025) · #49 in Finland (Swedish-sp.) (2025).
Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 12 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.
Among 490 notable people named Ester:
Artists & writers appear 1.43× more often than among typical names — e.g. Ester Dean, American singer and songwriter.
Similar names: Esty · Petra · Estela · Carmela · Eunice · Leonor
Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.