Chester
Chester is a masculine given name of English origins with Latin roots. It comes from the word "castrum", which means fort or encampment.
Meaning & Origin of Chester
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Chester is a masculine given name of English origins with Latin roots. It comes from the word "castrum", which means fort or encampment.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Chester
Chester first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 168 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1920, when 3,698 Chesters were born — ranking #55 that year. As of 2026, Chester ranks #1,653 for baby boys with 103 births, gradually rising (+12%). In total, more than 122K Chesters have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Chester
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Chester A. Arthur (1829–1886), the 21st president of the United States
- Chester Alan Arthur II (1864–1937), son of Chester A. Arthur
- Chester "Gavin" Alan Arthur III (1901–1972), American astrologer and sexologist and a grandson of Chester A. Arthur
- Chester "Chet" Atkins (1924–2001), American musician
- Chester Baker Slawson (1898–1964), Professor of mineralogy
- Chester W. Barrows (1872–1931), Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court
- Chester Bennington (1976–2017), the lead vocalist of the rock band Linkin Park
- Chester Brown (born 1960), Canadian alternative cartoonist and, since 2008, the Libertarian Party of Canada's candidate for the riding of Trinity-Spadina in Toronto, Canada
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Chester
Phonetically similar names — useful when Chester is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Chaster
- Jester
- Chest
- Chesty
- Cest
- Chesser
- Shuster
- Chesed
- Chesters
- Juster
- Ceste
- Tester
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Chester
What does the name Chester mean?
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In which U.S. states is Chester most popular?
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About the name Chester
Chester is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 122K births in the dataset. Chester's peak popularity came in 1920 when it ranked #53. Use the chart and map above to compare Chester's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1920 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.