Lester
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Lester
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 is also given to girls.
Pronounced LES-tur.
As of October 2026, Lester ranked #1641 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #52 in 1906.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,519 | 106 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #1,560 | 104 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #1,569 | 105 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #1,772 | 87 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #1,694 | 93 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #1,639 | 100 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #1,531 | 109 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #1,588 | 109 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #1,765 | 94 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #1,921 | 82 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #1,580 | 109 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #1,641 | 103 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Lester for boys
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Lester on lists
Famous Lesters
- Lester HoltBoy
American news anchor
- Lester Bowles "Mike" PearsonBoy
former Canadian Prime Minister
- Lester Keith PiggottBoy
English jockey
- Lester Willis YoungBoy
American jazz saxophonist
- Lester del Rey (born Leonard Knapp)Boy
American science fiction novelist and editor
- Lester BowieBoy
American jazz trumpeter
- Leslie Conway "Lester" BangsBoy
American rock music journalist
- (Curtis) Lester Patrick aka LesBoy
The Silver Fox, Canadian ice hockey player
- Lester Garfield MaddoxBoy
Sr., American politician, governor of Georgia
- Lester B. PearsonBoy
winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace
- Philip "Phil" Michael LesterBoy
English radio presenter and Internet personality
- Lester Raymond "Les" BrownBoy
American clarinetist and bandleader
- Lester John Thomas "Les" CostelloBoy
Canadian ice hockey player and priest
- Lester William PolsfussBoy
birth name of Les Paul, American guitarist and luthier
- Lester "Les" TremayneBoy
Anglo,American actor
- Gerry Lester "Bubba" WatsonBoy
American golfer
Lester in pop culture
- Lester BurnhamBoy
main character of the film "American Beauty"
- Lester "Worm" MurphyBoy
from the movie "Rounders"
- Lester NygaardBoy
character from the television show "Fargo"
- Archduke Lester DeRossoBoy
holder of the Vampire Asterisk in "Bravely Default"
- Lester PapadopoulosBoy
main character in Rick Riordan's The Trials Of Apollo
- Lester McKinleyBoy
brother of title character Alice in the Alice book series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- Lester the lab ratBoy
character in the 90's Children's Educational show "Beakman's World"