Esther

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled אסתר in IL Israel, MA Morocco, QA Qatar and 6 more and Aster in SE Sweden, NO Norway.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 12 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Esther is also recorded as 6 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• English given name2.3M records spelled Esther71 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Brazil, Netherlands, Nigeria

  Languages: English, German, Western Frisian

  Also written Ester, Ësthër, 'Esther, Esthër, Éster

• Swahili given name472K records spelled Esther5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Kenya, Nigeria, United States, Spain

  Languages: Swahili, Southern Sotho, Yoruba

  Also written Esther'

• a separate given name93K records spelled Esther2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, United Kingdom, Spain, Netherlands

  Also written Ésther

• Indonesian given name29K records spelled Esther6 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Indonesia, Nigeria, Malaysia

  Languages: Indonesian, Malay

  Also written 'Esther, Esthër, Ësthër, Esthér

• Khmer given name27K records spelled Esther3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Spain, United States, Nigeria, Vietnam

  Languages: Khmer, Vietnamese

  Also written Ésthér

• Czech given name21K records spelled Esther55 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Czechia, United States, Poland, Russia

  Languages: Czech, Russian, Polish

  Also written Ester, Эстер, Естер, Hester, Эстэр

90 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Esther is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• The name Esther, meaning 'star,' belongs to the brave and beautiful biblical queen who risked her life to save her people. It represents courage, hidden strength, and royalty.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• In English, Persian name of unknown meaning; used in Ireland to ‘translate’ Ashling and sometimes given to Easter-born children.

  as a name·Irish first names

• In French, Biblical name, probably from Persian stāra ‘star’ or linked to Ishtar

  as a name·Le grand guide des prénoms (Enfant - Education)

• In French, Possibly Persian/Assyrian; here linked to « star ».

  as a name·Le grand guide des prénoms (Enfant - Education)

• In English, Old Testament book; pers. name

  as a name·Pronouncing Dictionary of Proper Names

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Estée Lauderb. 1906USnot in their usual nameAmerican businesswoman (1906–2004)
• Esther Williamsb. 1921USAmerican swimmer, actress and singer (1921–2013)
• Vidal Sassoonb. 1928GBnot in their usual nameBritish hairstylist (1928–2012)
• Katherine Jacksonb. 1930USnot in their usual namematriarch of the Jackson musical family
• Esther Perelb. 1958BEBelgian psychotherapist and author
• Gretchen Whitmerb. 1971USnot in their usual nameAmerican politician and attorney (born 1971)
• Esther Duflob. 1972FRFrench-American economist (born 1972)
• Esther Vergeerb. 1981NLDutch wheelchair tennis player
• Esther Acebob. 1983ESSpanish actress
• Ester Deanb. 1986USnot in their usual nameAmerican singer and songwriter

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 1,848 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Esther?

We estimate roughly 512 thousand people bear Esther (counting its spellings and scripts) across 13 countries in our records.

In which country does Esther have the most bearers?

Esther is most frequently recorded in Argentina, where it is most often spelled esther.

How common is Esther compared with other names?

In Argentina, Esther is the 106th most common given name of 517,176 given names recorded there.

Is Esther a male or female name?

Esther is a female name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Esther mean?

Recorded meaning: The name Esther is likely derived from the Old Persian word "stāreh," meaning "star," or is possibly related to the name of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar.