Total births
271,234
Girls' name · since 1880
Esther
271,234 babies named Esther in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #130
- among girls today
- 271,234
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99.3%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Esther is the #130 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 271,234 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Esther has been recorded 271,234 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #130 nationally and more common than 99.3% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #130 among girls today
- 271,234 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 99.3% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Esther is currently the #130 girls' name in America, more common than 99.3% of girls - 271,234 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #130
- among girls today
- 271,234
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99.3%
- more common than other girls
Esther vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#130
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99.3% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
18% of everyone ever named Esther was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
6,574 babies were named Esther in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Esther compares
271,234 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Esther's all-time total is 710x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Esther | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 271,234 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 6,574 | 48 | 19,840 |
Esther's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Esther's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 32% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 68%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1881, with only 189 births recorded -- set against the 1918 peak of 6,574, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Esther at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1918
Current rank
#130
Active since
1880
Esther popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 6,574
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Esther popularity over time - boys
972 total births recorded since 1890 (Esther as boys' name)
Esther by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Esther's strongest decade.
49,230 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 18% of all-time use.
Esther births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 3,476
1880s
3,476 births
- 1890s 14,737
1890s
14,737 births
- 1900s
1900s
20,026 births
- 1910s
1910s
49,212 births
- 1920s
1920s
49,230 births
- 1930s
1930s
25,791 births
- 1940s 17,639
1940s
17,639 births
- 1950s 15,766
1950s
15,766 births
- 1960s 10,111
1960s
10,111 births
- 1970s 7,299
1970s
7,299 births
- 1980s 8,819
1980s
8,819 births
- 1990s 9,415
1990s
9,415 births
- 2000s 11,488
2000s
11,488 births
- 2010s 15,935
2010s
15,935 births
- 2020s 12,290
2020s
12,290 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 49,230 births (18% of all-time use).
How Esther compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Esther's total volume
Esther vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Esther by state
Where Esther concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 31,026 | 11.4% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 19,217 | 7.1% |
| #3 | California | | 19,100 | 7.0% |
| #4 | Texas | | 14,517 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 11,754 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 10,692 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 8,267 | 3.0% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 8,041 | 3.0% |
New York share of Esther's total US births 11.4%
Even split
31,026 of 271,234 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Esther appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Esther? ▼
271,234 babies have been named Esther since 1880. It currently ranks #130 among girls. The peak year was 1918 with 6,574 births.
When was Esther most popular? ▼
Esther was most popular in the 1920s decade with 49,230 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Esther most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Esther are New York (31,026 births), Pennsylvania (19,217 births), California (19,100 births).
How long has the name Esther been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Esther since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Esther? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Estelle, Estella, Estrella, Ester, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Esther's data
- Esther's decade-level peak was the 1920s (49,230 total births); usage has since declined to 12,290 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Esthers (31,026 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Esther
Nearby Names Like Esther
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Esther
Estelle Girl
#641 56,410 births
Estella Girl
#502 42,920 births
Estrella Girl
#620 16,799 births
Ester Girl
#1512 16,265 births
Estela Girl
#1758 9,147 births
Compare Esther side by side: Esther vs Estelle Esther vs Estella Esther vs Estrella
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Esther
Juliette #129
40,981 births · Peak 2025
Mary #131
4,141,481 births · Peak 1921
Catalina #128
33,009 births · Peak 2025
Aubrey #132
133,515 births · Peak 2012
Margot #127
25,568 births · Peak 2025
Nevaeh #133
98,497 births · Peak 2007
Samantha #126
592,847 births · Peak 1990
Skylar #134
87,442 births · Peak 2015
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Esther: #130 Girls' Name - 271,234 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/esther. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Esther draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.