Lester
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- LES-ter
- Origin
- English
- US rank, 2025
- #1,634 for boys
Lester is a boys' name of English origin. In 2025 it ranked 1,634th for boys in the US (103 babies).
What does Lester mean?
English: English surname from the city of Leicester
From a surname based on the city of Leicester, whose name contains Old English ceaster, 'Roman fort'.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Lester a girl's or a boy's name?
Lester is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 103 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Lester in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2003, with 11 boys.
Half of all the boys named Lester in the UK since 1996 were born between 2001 and 2013. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Lester in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 5 | #3,639 |
| 2021 | 4 | #4,188 |
| 2020 | 6 | #3,108 |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 8 | #2,576 |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 6 | #3,241 |
| 2015 | 3 | #4,955 |
| 2014 | 3 | #4,829 |
| 2013 | 4 | #4,008 |
| 2012 | 9 | #2,382 |
| 2011 | 6 | #3,038 |
| 2010 | 9 | #2,306 |
| 2009 | 5 | #3,395 |
| 2008 | 6 | #2,906 |
| 2007 | 6 | #2,873 |
| 2006 | 7 | #2,386 |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 5 | #2,691 |
| 2003 | 11 | #1,498 |
| 2002 | 5 | #2,358 |
| 2001 | 5 | #2,326 |
| 2000 | 8 | #1,637 |
| 1999 | 7 | #1,749 |
| 1998 | 5 | #2,170 |
| 1997 | 7 | #1,678 |
| 1996 | 5 | #2,094 |
How popular is Lester in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,634th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 103 about 1 in 17,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady down 2% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 103 boys in the US were named Lester, making it the 1,634th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,528th. Its busiest year was 1918, with 3,229 boys.
Half of all the boys named Lester in the US since 1880 were born between 1920 and 1954, the years shaded on the chart below.
Lester in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 103 | #1,634 |
| 2024 | 111 | #1,563 |
| 2023 | 82 | #1,909 |
| 2022 | 96 | #1,737 |
| 2021 | 109 | #1,583 |
| 2020 | 109 | #1,528 |
| 2019 | 100 | #1,634 |
| 2018 | 93 | #1,687 |
| 2017 | 88 | #1,746 |
| 2016 | 105 | #1,563 |
| 2015 | 104 | #1,555 |
| 2014 | 106 | #1,514 |
| 2013 | 125 | #1,352 |
| 2012 | 104 | #1,535 |
| 2011 | 102 | #1,544 |
| 2010 | 118 | #1,408 |
| 2009 | 127 | #1,353 |
| 2008 | 142 | #1,227 |
| 2007 | 120 | #1,376 |
| 2006 | 146 | #1,154 |
| 2005 | 128 | #1,232 |
| 2004 | 137 | #1,143 |
| 2003 | 148 | #1,048 |
| 2002 | 139 | #1,078 |
| 2001 | 142 | #1,034 |
| 2000 | 144 | #1,013 |
| 1999 | 173 | #871 |
| 1998 | 133 | #1,014 |
| 1997 | 166 | #850 |
| 1996 | 172 | #830 |
| 1995 | 179 | #798 |
| 1994 | 207 | #727 |
| 1993 | 252 | #647 |
| 1992 | 251 | #652 |
| 1991 | 287 | #599 |
| 1990 | 260 | #629 |
| 1989 | 314 | #546 |
| 1988 | 309 | #519 |
| 1987 | 277 | #548 |
| 1986 | 302 | #504 |
| 1985 | 321 | #485 |
| 1984 | 346 | #450 |
| 1983 | 399 | #409 |
| 1982 | 400 | #418 |
| 1981 | 436 | #387 |
| 1980 | 466 | #370 |
| 1979 | 422 | #390 |
| 1978 | 387 | #392 |
| 1977 | 453 | #366 |
| 1976 | 475 | #350 |
| 1975 | 497 | #344 |
| 1974 | 471 | #355 |
| 1973 | 504 | #337 |
| 1972 | 589 | #311 |
| 1971 | 632 | #308 |
| 1970 | 680 | #297 |
| 1969 | 718 | #277 |
| 1968 | 747 | #266 |
| 1967 | 731 | #269 |
| 1966 | 771 | #261 |
| 1965 | 956 | #237 |
| 1964 | 1,000 | #243 |
| 1963 | 1,101 | #226 |
| 1962 | 1,117 | #229 |
| 1961 | 1,284 | #218 |
| 1960 | 1,316 | #213 |
| 1959 | 1,335 | #211 |
| 1958 | 1,466 | #192 |
| 1957 | 1,636 | #183 |
| 1956 | 1,702 | #176 |
| 1955 | 1,691 | #168 |
| 1954 | 1,758 | #164 |
| 1953 | 1,776 | #157 |
| 1952 | 1,724 | #158 |
| 1951 | 1,722 | #151 |
| 1950 | 1,758 | #148 |
| 1949 | 1,752 | #149 |
| 1948 | 1,781 | #149 |
| 1947 | 1,944 | #142 |
| 1946 | 1,669 | #145 |
| 1945 | 1,618 | #131 |
| 1944 | 1,651 | #126 |
| 1943 | 1,764 | #125 |
| 1942 | 1,749 | #126 |
| 1941 | 1,563 | #125 |
| 1940 | 1,591 | #116 |
| 1939 | 1,549 | #116 |
| 1938 | 1,604 | #115 |
| 1937 | 1,576 | #116 |
| 1936 | 1,546 | #115 |
| 1935 | 1,626 | #114 |
| 1934 | 1,687 | #110 |
| 1933 | 1,644 | #108 |
| 1932 | 1,813 | #101 |
| 1931 | 1,919 | #96 |
| 1930 | 2,020 | #95 |
| 1929 | 2,106 | #88 |
| 1928 | 2,229 | #89 |
| 1927 | 2,440 | #83 |
| 1926 | 2,539 | #78 |
| 1925 | 2,559 | #81 |
| 1924 | 2,780 | #72 |
| 1923 | 2,765 | #71 |
| 1922 | 2,951 | #69 |
| 1921 | 3,076 | #66 |
| 1920 | 3,068 | #69 |
| 1919 | 3,020 | #62 |
| 1918 | 3,229 | #62 |
| 1917 | 2,854 | #61 |
| 1916 | 2,907 | #59 |
| 1915 | 2,943 | #57 |
| 1914 | 2,164 | #57 |
| 1913 | 1,736 | #59 |
| 1912 | 1,443 | #58 |
| 1911 | 657 | #65 |
| 1910 | 556 | #64 |
| 1909 | 501 | #61 |
| 1908 | 509 | #60 |
| 1907 | 491 | #58 |
| 1906 | 482 | #52 |
| 1905 | 432 | #57 |
| 1904 | 398 | #61 |
| 1903 | 400 | #53 |
| 1902 | 385 | #58 |
| 1901 | 332 | #61 |
| 1900 | 431 | #60 |
| 1899 | 290 | #65 |
| 1898 | 298 | #70 |
| 1897 | 310 | #61 |
| 1896 | 318 | #65 |
| 1895 | 295 | #68 |
| 1894 | 291 | #69 |
| 1893 | 243 | #77 |
| 1892 | 240 | #80 |
| 1891 | 191 | #83 |
| 1890 | 226 | #76 |
| 1889 | 213 | #82 |
| 1888 | 189 | #97 |
| 1887 | 168 | #89 |
| 1886 | 160 | #98 |
| 1885 | 141 | #101 |
| 1884 | 123 | #118 |
| 1883 | 116 | #111 |
| 1882 | 134 | #109 |
| 1881 | 87 | #142 |
| 1880 | 109 | #121 |
Nicknames for Lester
- Les 11 boys in the US in 2025
Names like Lester
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Chester, Lewis, Harry, William, Leon, Thomas, Stanley, Arthur, Peter, James, Joseph, Charlie
More English names
Lily, Evelyn, Hudson, Ivy, Harper, Grace, Violet, Willow, Daisy, Poppy, Riley, Oakley, Mason, Cooper, Ruby, Hallie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Lester: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/lester, updated 20 October 2026.