Girl name · Persian
Esther
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: possibly starEsther is a girl's name that comes from Persian and means "possibly star". It is used in English, French, Spanish, Dutch, German and Scandinavian and more.
- Meaning
- Possibly star
- Origin
- Persian
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #119 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Esther
As a girl's name, Esther comes from Persian and means "possibly star". It is used in English, French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Scandinavian and Hebrew.
Its meaning puts Esther on our names that mean star list.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Esther on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Esther on 2 lists.
“Possibly star in Persian, or from the goddess Ishtar. Queen of Persia, Book of Esther”
From Biblical names, popular Bible names with debated meanings
“Possibly star; Persian. The brave queen of the Book of Esther”
From Vintage girl names, victorian girl names
How popular is Esther?
- US rank in 2025
- #119
- 2,277 babies, 1,417 per million girls
- Best rank
- #27 in 1896
- Most babies: 6,574 in 1918
- Babies since 1880
- At least 271,234
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 2,648 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 6,634 per million |
| 1900s | 6,841 per million |
| 1910s | 6,034 per million |
| 1920s | 4,119 per million |
| 1930s | 2,419 per million |
| 1940s | 1,218 per million |
| 1950s | 820 per million |
| 1960s | 554 per million |
| 1970s | 472 per million |
| 1980s | 513 per million |
| 1990s | 523 per million |
| 2000s | 622 per million |
| 2010s | 910 per million |
| 2020s | 1,263 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #182 | #165 | #151 | #165 | #148 | #153 | #138 | #138 | #130 | #119 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Esther
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- EserWork, achievement (Turkish, unisex)
- EstelA star (Catalan, girl)
- EthelNoble (Old English, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- OscarPossibly deer friend (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- AmeliaPossibly vigorous, brave (Germanic, girl)
- AilaniPossibly from Hawaiian ʻAilani, to rule as chief, or Aylín (Hawaiian, girl)
- AilanyVariant of Ailani, possibly Hawaiian, to rule as chief (Hawaiian, girl)
- AkhtarA star (Persian, unisex)
- ArlethVariant of Arlette, from Herleva, possibly army and legacy (Germanic, girl)
- AstraeaStar (Greek, girl)
- AtlasPossibly enduring, from Greek tlao, to endure (Greek, boy)
- EdenPossibly delight, pleasure (Hebrew, unisex)
- EstelaStar (Latin, girl)
- EstellaA star (Latin, girl)
- EstelleA star (Latin, girl)
- JessePossibly gift, or existence (Hebrew, boy)
- LeiaForm of Leah; Princess Leia in Star Wars (Hebrew, girl)
- MaristelaStar of the sea (Latin, girl)
Middle names for Esther
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Persian
- RoxanaBright, shining (Persian, girl)
- BaharSpring, the season (Persian, girl)
- BaranRain (Persian, unisex)
- DariaHolding firm the good (Persian, girl)
- DaryaHolding firm the good; also sea in Persian (Persian, girl)
- DilaraAdorner of the heart; beloved (Persian, girl)
- JahanaraAdorning the world (Persian, girl)
- NasrinWild rose (Persian, girl)
- PariFairy (Persian, girl)
- ParvinThe Pleiades star cluster (Persian, unisex)
- RoksanaBright, shining (Persian, girl)
- RoshanLight, bright (Persian, unisex)
- RoxanneBright, shining (Persian, girl)
- ShabnamMorning dew (Persian, girl)
- TahminaBrave, valiant (Persian, girl)
- YasminJasmine flower (Persian, girl)
- AfarinBravo, praise (Persian, girl)
- AfsanehLegend, fairy tale (Persian, girl)
Esther: common questions
What does the name Esther mean?
Esther comes from Persian and means "possibly star". Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Esther a boy or girl name?
Esther is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Esther come from?
Esther comes from Persian and means "possibly star". Today it is used in English, French, Spanish, Dutch, German and Scandinavian.
How popular is the name Esther?
Esther ranked #119 in the US in 2025, with 2,277 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Esther?
Names spelled like Esther include Eser, Estel and Ethel.
What middle names go with Esther?
Middle names that flow well with Esther include Aoife, Belle, Faith, Fern and Jade. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.