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.
- #146 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #119 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 271,234
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Esther is the #119 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 #119 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.
- #146 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #119 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 271,234 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Esther ranks #146 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #119 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 271,234 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #146 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #119 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 271,234
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Esther's 271,234 recorded births place it above 99.79% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Esther compares
271,234 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 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 721x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Esther | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 271,234 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 6,574 | 21 | 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 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
1920s is the heaviest window (49,230 births, 18% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Esther sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Esther most popular? ▼
Where is Esther most popular? ▼
How long has the name Esther been used? ▼
What names are similar to Esther? ▼
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
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
Compare Esther side by side: Esther vs Estelle Esther vs Estella Esther vs Estrella
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Esther
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Esther: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1918)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.