Total births
130,688
Boys' name · since 1880
Lester
130,688 babies named Lester 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.
- #1563
- among boys today
- 130,688
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 89%
- more common than other boys
Lester currently ranks #1563 among boys' names in America, with 130,688 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lester has been recorded 130,688 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #1563 nationally and more common than 89% of boys, 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.
- #1563 among boys today
- 130,688 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 89% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Lester is currently the #1563 boys' name in America, more common than 89% of boys - 130,688 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1563
- among boys today
- 130,688
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 89%
- more common than other boys
Lester vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1563
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 89% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
20% of everyone ever named Lester was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
3,229 babies were named Lester in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Lester compares
130,688 Top 2% higher than 98% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Lester's all-time total is 356x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Lester | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 130,688 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 3,229 | 23 | 22,252 |
Lester's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Lester's full recorded timeline at 1953, 27% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 73% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2023, with just 82 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 3,229 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Lester at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1918
Current rank
#1,563
Active since
1880
Lester popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 3,229
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Lester popularity over time - girls
1,359 total births recorded since 1886 (Lester as girls' name)
Lester by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Lester's strongest decade.
26,513 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Lester births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,440
1880s
1,440 births
- 1890s 2,702
1890s
2,702 births
- 1900s 4,361
1900s
4,361 births
- 1910s
1910s
21,509 births
- 1920s
1920s
26,513 births
- 1930s
1930s
16,984 births
- 1940s
1940s
17,082 births
- 1950s
1950s
16,568 births
- 1960s 9,741
1960s
9,741 births
- 1970s 5,110
1970s
5,110 births
- 1980s 3,570
1980s
3,570 births
- 1990s 2,080
1990s
2,080 births
- 2000s 1,373
2000s
1,373 births
- 2010s 1,045
2010s
1,045 births
- 2020s 610
2020s
610 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 26,513 births (20% of all-time use).
How Lester compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Lester's total volume
Lester vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Lester by state
Where Lester concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 8,591 | 6.6% |
| #2 | New York | | 7,595 | 5.8% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 7,010 | 5.4% |
| #4 | Texas | | 6,229 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 6,207 | 4.7% |
| #6 | California | | 4,990 | 3.8% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 4,338 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Missouri | | 4,258 | 3.3% |
Pennsylvania share of Lester's total US births 6.6%
Even split
8,591 of 130,688 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Lester appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Lester? ▼
130,688 babies have been named Lester since 1880. It currently ranks #1563 among boys. The peak year was 1918 with 3,229 births.
When was Lester most popular? ▼
Lester was most popular in the 1920s decade with 26,513 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Lester most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Lester are Pennsylvania (8,591 births), New York (7,595 births), Illinois (7,010 births).
How long has the name Lester been used? ▼
Lester has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Lester? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Leslie, Lesley, Les, Lessie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Lester's data
- Lester's decade-level peak was the 1920s (26,513 total births); usage has since declined to 610 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Lesters (8,591 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania 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 Lester
Nearby Names Like Lester
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lester
Leslie Boy
#3001 112,989 births
Lesley Boy
4,797 births
Les Boy
#12400 3,448 births
Lessie Boy
945 births
Leshawn Boy
806 births
Compare Lester side by side: Lester vs Leslie Lester vs Lesley Lester vs Les
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Lester
Micaiah #1562
3,085 births · Peak 2014
Nate #1564
4,490 births · Peak 2007
Ori #1561
1,619 births · Peak 2024
Holland #1565
3,172 births · Peak 2025
Eason #1560
2,849 births · Peak 2016
Hendrick #1566
1,664 births · Peak 2024
Lenox #1559
2,104 births · Peak 2023
Shaun #1567
70,481 births · Peak 1978
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. "Lester: #1563 Boys' Name - 130,688 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/lester. 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 Lester 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.