Chester is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Chester means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Chester across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Chester has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Chester is a boy name of Latin origin meaning “fortress, walled town”. originally a place name and surname.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 122,302 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 5,570 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 111 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 34 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 15 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Chester per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1920 (3,726/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2020 (691/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2020 (24/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2021 (7/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2023 (5/yr).
Chester has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1920, when it ranked #131 nationally (given to 3,726 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1920s.
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