Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Hester?
Births per year, rank history and how many Hesters are alive today.
Hester (female) is a shortened form of the name Esther. Although Hester itself was given to 15 babies in England and Wales in 2025 (ranked 1892nd as a registered name), most Hesters are registered as Esther, which ranked 150th in 2025 with 333 babies.
Most people called Hester are registered as Esther, and share that name's profile: the Esther you are most likely to meet is around 10 years old - or else around 70: the name has two living generations. Half of all Esthers born in England and Wales are between 23 and 72, and there are at least 32,000 of them alive today. Only some Esthers go by Hester.
How many babies are named Hester or Esther each year?
Combined registrations of Esther, Ester, Hester. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Esther rank as a registered name?
Where does Hester rank as a registered name?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
Is Hester short for Esther?
Yes - Hester is a shortened form of Esther. Hesters are usually registered as Esther at birth.
When was the name Hester most popular?
The full name Esther peaked in 1904, when around 810 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Hester itself peaked as a registered name in 2015, with 27 babies.
How many people are called Hester?
There's no official count of people who go by Hester, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 32,000 people registered as Esther born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Hester.
How old is the typical Hester?
Most people called Hester are registered as Esther. Most living Esthers are between 23 and 72; the most common age is about 10. There is a second cluster around 70.
Is Hester becoming more or less popular?
Broadly steady in recent years.