Chester
Chester was the 1588th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 107 babies. Its best year was 1919, when it ranked 53rd; the most babies were born in 1920 (3,698). Over the last ten years it has moved up 37 places. More babies were named Chester in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning Roman fort (place name) · English, Latin
Say it CHES-ter /ˈtʃɛstɚ/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,588 boys, up 34 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 107boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19203,698 babies
- Total since 1880
- 122,302babies recorded
What does the name Chester mean?
Chester is the name of the English city, from Old English ceaster 'Roman town or fort', a borrowing of Latin castra 'military camp', as Wiktionary notes; the same word ends many place names, such as Manchester. It became a surname and then a common American first name in the late 19th century; President Chester A. Arthur is a famous bearer.
ceaster (Old English, “Roman town, fort”)castra (Latin, “military camp”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Chet, Chess.
See also: English names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Chester', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Nicknames for Chester
The usual nicknames for Chester are Chet. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Chester in the last five years, 68 were named Chet, against 51 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chet | Traditional | #2,186 | 317 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Chesters go by each one.
Chester popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 828 since 1894.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,588 | 107 |
| 2020 | #1,622 | 99 |
| 2010 | #1,913 | 74 |
| 2000 | #1,228 | 109 |
| 1990 | #674 | 226 |
| 1980 | #446 | 348 |
| 1970 | #359 | 515 |
| 1960 | #260 | 936 |
| 1950 | #169 | 1,378 |
| 1940 | #137 | 1,353 |
| 1930 | #103 | 1,791 |
| 1920 | #55 | 3,698 |
| 1910 | #61 | 561 |
| 1900 | #72 | 364 |
| 1890 | #69 | 263 |
| 1880 | #85 | 168 |
How popular is Chester, counting every spelling?
Chester has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,497 for boys in 2025, against #1,588 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Chester?
107 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Chester (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Chester born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 78 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Chester.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Chester?
About 32,200 people born in the US named Chester are alive today, with a median age of 67; half are between 51 and 77. That makes Chester a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Chester by state
How common Chester was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wisconsin (3.6×), Pennsylvania (2.0×). In 38 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Chester: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Chester, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Chester · Sibling names for Chester
Questions about the name Chester
What does Chester mean?
Chester means “Roman fort (place name)” (English, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Chester?
Chester was the 1588th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 107 babies. Its best year was 1919, when it ranked 53rd; the most babies were born in 1920 (3,698). Over the last ten years it has moved up 37 places. More babies were named Chester in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Chester a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Chester in the US.
Where is Chester most popular?
In 2021–2025, Chester was most common in Wisconsin (0.19 per 1,000 boys), followed by Pennsylvania and Michigan.