Names That Mean Camp

A popular choice in the US in the early 20th-century, Lester made the Top 100 consistently for 46 years between 1886 and 1931. It then remained in the Top 500 until the mid-80s before dropping out of the charts in the late 90s. Since then, it's been given to around 100 babies each year, making it an out-of-style but not forgotten name. 
 
Derived from the English place-name and surname, Leicester, this streamlined, phonetic form was in its prime alongside Elmer, Chester, Sylvester, Hester, Melvin, and Leroy. Its meaning comes from the Latin castra, referring to a fortified or military camp, blended with the name of a river. 
 
While retro and vintage names are on trend at the moment, contemporary parents may be put off by Lester's similarity and rhyme with "molester" or "pester", preferring instead options like Ledger and Everest, or alternative vintage names such as Walter, Wes, and Maurice.

Lester

Chesleigh

Rochester was Jack Benny's famous valet and sidekick, played by early African-American comic Eddie Anderson. 

Rochester

Taken from the name of an English city, Leicester has an aristocratic look about it, though its shorter and simpler than it looks at first glance. Said just as the same as Lester, the more stripped back spelling is usually preferred, bringing with it less risk of mispronunciation. 
 
Used as a given name by Charles Dickens in his novel Bleak House, the name comes the Latin castra meaning "military camp" or "fort", combined with the name of a river.

Names That Mean Camp

The names

Lester

Chesleigh

Rochester

Leicester