Lester

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Lester

Lester Young

American jazz saxophonist (1909–1959)

Choose Lester and your child shares a first name with Lester Young, an American jazz saxophonist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Lester, like who?” Lester Young's Wikipedia article is available in 37 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Lester Young on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: William P. Gottlieb, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 16,584 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Lester, 103 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Lester would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryLester has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Lesters, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1906, when it ranked #52. Today it's #1,634, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendLester has slipped 106 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,634. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedLester is most popular in Louisiana, where it ranks #775, followed by Pennsylvania (#846) and Tennessee (#927). It's in the top 1,000 in 3 states.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Lester means “from Leicester”. Our records link it to English and Latin roots.

About the name Lester

Lester is a boy name of English and Latin origin meaning “from Leicester”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with L and ending in “-ter”. US birth records list Lester for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1906, when it ranked #52 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,634, with 103 babies.

Origin:English namesLatin names