Girls' name · since 1880

Hester

14,227 babies named Hester 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.

14,227
total births
1880–2025
years on record
1910s
peak decade
22%
born in that decade

Hester is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 14,227 have been recorded since 1880.

Hester has 14,227 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1910s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.

  • 14,227 total births
  • 1880–2025 years on record
  • 1910s peak decade
  • 22% born in that decade

Data updated Jun 2026

The verdict

14,227 girls have been named Hester since 1880, peaking in the 1910s, last recorded in 2025.

14,227
total births
1880–2025
years on record
1910s
peak decade
22%
born in that decade
1910s
Peak decade

22% of everyone ever named Hester was born in this single decade.

1918
Single peak year

394 babies were named Hester in 1918 - its busiest year on record.

Hester's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Hester's SSA record in two at 1941 and the more recent half accounts for 18% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 82%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1998, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1918 peak of 394, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Hester at a glance

Last recorded 2025

Total births

14,227

Since 1880

146 years of records

Peak year

1918

394 births that year

Strongest decade: 1910s

Current rank

Unranked

Outside the modern top-1,000

As of 2025

Active since

1880

Recorded for 146 years

Last year on file: 2025

Hester popularity over time - girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025

Last recorded 2025
Peak year (1918)
394
Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
-1000100200300400500 188018961912192819441960197619932025 5

Hester popularity over time - boys

537 total births recorded since 1893 (Hester as boys' name)

Unisex variant - 537 births
0510152025 189319081915192219291936194519551970 5

Hester by decade

Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance

1910s was Hester's strongest decade.

3,111 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.

Hester births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1910s at 3,111 births (22% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of June 2026

How Hester 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 Hester's total volume

Hester vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Hester vs 15 similarly-sized girls names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year Hester
Hester vs 15 similarly-sized girls names

Hester by state

Where Hester concentrates geographically, total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Hester
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 North Carolina
676 4.8%
#2 Kentucky
649 4.6%
#3 Virginia
630 4.4%
#4 South Carolina
618 4.3%
#5 Texas
488 3.4%
#6 Tennessee
460 3.2%
#7 West Virginia
435 3.1%
#8 Alabama
388 2.7%
North Carolina share of Hester's total US births 4.8%
Even split

676 of 14,227 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 30 reporting states.

Hester appears in 30 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Hester? ▼
Hester has been given to 14,227 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2025. 394 babies were born in 1918, its single highest year.
When was Hester most popular? ▼
Hester was most popular in the 1910s decade with 3,111 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Hester most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Hester are North Carolina (676 births), Kentucky (649 births), Virginia (630 births).
How long has the name Hester been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Hester since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Hester? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Hessie, Hesper, Hestia, Hessa, and 3 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

What to do with Hester's data

  • Hester's decade-level peak was the 1910s (3,111 total births); usage has since declined to 10 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • North Carolina records the most Hesters (676 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina 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 Hester

Nearby Names Like Hester

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Hester

Hessie Girl
1,118 births
Hesper Girl
#15413 108 births
Hestia Girl
#8894 72 births
Hessa Girl
#14708 28 births
Hesta Girl
26 births

Compare Hester side by side: Hester vs Hessie Hester vs Hesper Hester vs Hestia

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar number of total births

Kailyn #1587
14,211 births · Peak 2011
Jaelyn #1563
14,201 births · Peak 2008
Concetta #7611
14,193 births · Peak 1924
Rebeca #1265
14,193 births · Peak 2003
Nita #9561
14,268 births · Peak 1956
Tamera #7312
14,282 births · Peak 1959
Haleigh #4241
14,284 births · Peak 2000
Earlene
14,165 births · Peak 1947

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. "Hester: Baby Name Since 1880 - 14,227 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/hester. 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 Hester 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.