Esther

“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 has appeared in US records since 1880 — best rank #27 (1896) · 271,234 babies named Esther all-time · 1 in 700 girls born in 2025.

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.

Famous Esthers

Esther Duflo — French-American economist (born 1972)
Esther Williams — American swimmer, actress and singer (1921–2013)
Esther Brand — South African former athlete (1922–2015)
Esther Lederberg — American microbiologist and pioneer of bacterial genetics (1922–2006)
Esther Vilar — Argentine writer

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.

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