Meaning and history
Esther comes from the Hebrew name אֶסְתֵר (ʾEsṯer), which may mean “star” in Persian or may derive from the Near Eastern goddess Ishtar. In the Old Testament Book of Esther, Queen Esther, whose Hebrew name was Hadassah, is the Jewish wife of the Persian king who learns of Haman’s plan to exterminate the Jews, reveals her identity, and helps bring about Haman’s execution. The name has been used in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation, sometimes in the Latin form Hester, and its popularity in America increased after the birth of Esther Cleveland (1893–1980), daughter of President Grover Cleveland.
20062006: 1,158 births, rank #287
2007: 1,261 births, rank #272
2008: 1,282 births, rank #267
2009: 1,254 births, rank #260
2010: 1,259 births, rank #260
20112011: 1,356 births, rank #233
2012: 1,344 births, rank #237
2013: 1,440 births, rank #222
2014: 1,669 births, rank #199
2015: 1,625 births, rank #203
20162016: 1,814 births, rank #182
2017: 1,836 births, rank #165
2018: 1,860 births, rank #151
2019: 1,732 births, rank #165
2020: 1,832 births, rank #148
20212021: 1,847 births, rank #153
2022: 2,088 births, rank #138
2023: 2,026 births, rank #138
2024: 2,220 births, rank #130
20252025: 2,277 births, rank #119
Esther rose from #130 to #119 for girls between 2024 and 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 1918, with 6,574 births.