Lester is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Lester means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Lester across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Lester has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Lester is a boy name of Old English origin meaning “from Leicester”. originally a place name and surname.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 132,047 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 141 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 14 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 Lester per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1918 (3,265/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2003 (11/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1967 (4/yr).
Lester has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1918, when it ranked #145 nationally (given to 3,265 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1910s.
Luster · Leaster · Lister · Laster · Leester · Lastar · Lastarr
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