Esther
Hebrew · Girl · 2 syllables
Popularity & facts
Relative popularity index, 2010–2025Popularity over time
Popularity indexHistorical popularity from 1880–2025 · US Social Security Administration data
About the name Esther
The name Esther derives from the Persian word "star" (ستاره, setāreh) or possibly from the Akkadian goddess Ishtar, meaning "star" or "goddess." It appears in the Hebrew Bible as the name of a Jewish queen who saved her people from persecution in the Persian Empire, and is used primarily in Jewish, Christian, and secular Western cultures.
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Etymology
The name Esther derives from the Persian word "star" (ستاره, setāreh) or possibly from the Akkadian goddess Ishtar, meaning "star" or "goddess." It appears in the Hebrew Bible as the name of a Jewish queen who saved her people from persecution in the Persian Empire, and is used primarily in Jewish, Christian, and secular Western cultures.
Esther currently ranks #119 in the United States as a girl's name. It reached its peak popularity around 1918.
Variants & nicknames
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Sibling name ideas
English, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Lati names that sit beautifully beside EstherSimilar names you might like
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Names that sound like Esther
Phonetic match, not just spelling"The name 'Ester' is derived from the Greek name 'Esther', which is itself derived from the Persian name 'Esther', meaning…"
"Estera is the Polish and Spanish form of Esther, derived from the Persian name Ishtar or the Hebrew name Hadassah,…"
"Estrela means "star" and derives from Latin "stella," which passed into Romance languages including Portuguese and Spanish."
"Ekaterina means "pure" or "unsullied" and derives from the Greek name Aikaterina (Αἰκατερίνα), which comes from the Greek word "katharos"…"
"The name 'Estrella' means "star" in Spanish, deriving directly from the Latin word *stella*."
"The name 'Esteri' is a Finnish and Estonian form of 'Esther', meaning "star" from the Persian word *setareh* or possibly…"
"Ecaterina means "pure" or "clean," derived from the Greek name Αἰκατερίνα (Aikaterina), which comes from the Greek word "katharos" (καθαρός)."
"Esthera is a variant spelling of Esther, derived from the Persian word "star" (sitārah) or possibly from the Hebrew name…"
"Ecaterina-Lucia is a compound name combining Ecaterina (the Romanian form of Catherine, from Greek *Aikaterina* meaning "pure") and Lucia (from…"
"Ekaterina-Geanina is a hyphenated name combining Ekaterina (Greek root "katharos" meaning "pure") with Geanina (Romanian diminutive of Jeanne/Joanna, from Hebrew…"
"The name Ekaterini means "pure" or "unsullied," derived from the Greek root *katharos* (καθαρός)."
"Estrid derives from Old Norse "Ástríðr," combining "ást" (love) and "fríðr" (beautiful), meaning "beautiful love" or "beloved beauty." The name…"