Chester

Did you know?

A few things about Chester you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Chester

Chester Bennington

American singer, songwriter and musician (1976–2017)

Choose Chester and your child shares a first name with Chester Bennington, an American singer, songwriter and musician. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Chester, like who?” Chester Bennington's Wikipedia article is available in 98 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Chester Bennington on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Stefan Brending (2eight), CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 15,974 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Chester, 107 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Chester would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryChester has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Chesters, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1919, when it ranked #53. Today it's #1,585, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🚀TrendChester has climbed 36 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #1,585. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedChester is most popular in Wisconsin, where it ranks #484, followed by Pennsylvania (#846). It's in the top 1,000 in 2 states.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Chester means “fortress, camp”.

About the name Chester

Chester is a boy name of English origin meaning “fortress, camp”. It has 7 letters and 2 syllables, starting with C and ending in “-ter”. US birth records list Chester for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1919, when it ranked #53 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,585, with 107 babies.

Origin:English names