Lester
Lester was the 1641st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 103 babies. Its best year was 1906, when it ranked 52nd; the most babies were born in 1918 (3,229). Over the last ten years it has moved down 80 places. More babies were named Lester in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning from Leicester (place name) · English
Say it LES-ter /ˈlɛstɚ/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,641 boys, down 108 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 103boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19183,229 babies
- Total since 1880
- 132,047babies recorded
What does the name Lester mean?
Lester is an English surname with several sources, as Wiktionary notes: chiefly from the city of Leicester, and also from Lestre in Normandy and as a variant of Lister, a dyer. Leicester's name combines an old tribal or river name with Old English ceaster 'Roman town'. Lester became a common American first name in the late 19th century.
ceaster (Old English, “Roman town, fort”)
How sure is this? Well established. Several surname sources.
Related names: Leicester, Lister.
See also: English names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lester', 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 Lester
The usual nicknames for Lester are Les.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Les · also for Leslie | Traditional | #7,472 | 35 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Lesters go by each one.
Lester popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,359 since 1886.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,641 | 103 |
| 2020 | #1,533 | 109 |
| 2010 | #1,411 | 118 |
| 2000 | #1,019 | 144 |
| 1990 | #631 | 260 |
| 1980 | #370 | 466 |
| 1970 | #297 | 680 |
| 1960 | #213 | 1,316 |
| 1950 | #148 | 1,758 |
| 1940 | #116 | 1,591 |
| 1930 | #95 | 2,020 |
| 1920 | #69 | 3,068 |
| 1910 | #64 | 556 |
| 1900 | #60 | 431 |
| 1890 | #76 | 226 |
| 1880 | #121 | 109 |
How popular is Lester, counting every spelling?
Lester has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,531 for boys in 2025, against #1,641 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Lester?
103 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lester (0.03 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Lester 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 81 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lester.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lester?
About 41,000 people born in the US named Lester are alive today, with a median age of 66; half are between 51 and 76. That makes Lester 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.
Lester by state
How common Lester was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Pennsylvania (2.7×), Ohio (2.0×). In 36 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 Lester: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lester, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Lester · Sibling names for Lester
Questions about the name Lester
What does Lester mean?
Lester means “from Leicester (place name)” (English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Lester?
Lester was the 1641st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 103 babies. Its best year was 1906, when it ranked 52nd; the most babies were born in 1918 (3,229). Over the last ten years it has moved down 80 places. More babies were named Lester in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Lester a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Lester in the US.
Where is Lester most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lester was most common in Pennsylvania (0.16 per 1,000 boys), followed by Ohio and Florida.