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“Possibly related to the Persian word for star, or to Ishtar” — Hebrew via Greek origin
Girl's name · #119 in the US (2025) · Timeless
Esther holds its lane: charted since 1880 and rarely far from where it stands today (#119 in 2025). About 271,000 girls have carried it along the way. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. In New Jersey and New York it runs about 3× its national rate and ranks #17 in both. Its center of gravity has moved: strongest in the West in the 1940s and 1950s, strongest in the Northeast today. Esther's short forms are Essie, Hettie, Hetty, Estee, and Esti.
Around the world: #15 in Denmark (2025) · #59 in Sweden (2025) · #91 in New Zealand (2025).
Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 48 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.
Among 2,094 notable people named Esther:
Medical professionals appear 1.68× more often than among typical names — e.g. Esther Perel, Belgian psychotherapist and author.
Similar names: Georgia · Estella · Eva · Eliza · Miriam · Margaret
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