Lester
Lester is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname and given name.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Lester
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Lester is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname and given name.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Lester
American parents first put Lester on the record books as a baby boy name in 1880, with 109 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1918, when 3,229 Lesters were born — ranking #62 that year. About 20% of every Lester on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Lester ranks #1,725 for baby boys with 97 births, holding steady (-4%). All told, over 131K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Lester
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Lester. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Lester
Phonetically similar names — useful when Lester is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lester
What does the name Lester mean?
What is the origin of the name Lester?
How popular is Lester in 2026?
When was Lester most popular?
In which U.S. states is Lester most popular?
Is Lester a unisex name?
What names go well with Lester?
What are nicknames or variants of Lester?
About the name Lester
Lester is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 131K births in the dataset. Lester's peak popularity came in 1918 when it ranked #52. Use the chart and map above to compare Lester's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1918 →
- Names of the 1910s →
- Names starting with "L" →
- 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.