Girls' name · peaked in 1896
Esther name popularity since 1925
156,351 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Esther. Half of them were born in 1958 or earlier, so the typical Esther is about 68 years old in 2026. Esther peaked in 1896 as the #27 name for girls, and it ranked #119 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 156,351
- Named Esther, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1896
- #27 for girls that year
- In 2025
- #119
- for girls in 2025 (2,277 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.6% girls
- 155,742 girls · 609 boys
- Most popular in
- New York
- 2.01× its national share
Peak year is the year Esther made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Esther births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 1925. Measured as a share of all babies, Esther peaked earlier, in 1896.
- Steepest fall: Between 1939 and 1944, Esther's share of baby girls fell by 37%, from 1 in 520 to 1 in 823.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Esther's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Esther.
Decade by decade
Babies named Esther in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 21,189 | 112 | – |
| 1930s | 25,791 | 196 | #94 |
| 1940s | 17,639 | 92 | #160 |
| 1950s | 15,766 | 42 | #201 |
| 1960s | 10,111 | 28 | #280 |
| 1970s | 7,299 | 19 | #320 |
| 1980s | 8,819 | 65 | #288 |
| 1990s | 9,415 | 32 | #300 |
| 2000s | 11,488 | 0 | #273 |
| 2010s | 15,935 | 13 | #203 |
| 2020–25 | 12,290 | 10 | #119 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
28.2% of babies named Esther from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Silent Generation years (1928–1945). The full split by generation:
Where Esther is most popular
The index compares Esther's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Esther.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 2.01× | 23,618 |
| New Mexico | 1.88× | 1,607 |
| North Dakota | 1.64× | 801 |
| Hawaii | 1.59× | 771 |
| Alaska | 1.52× | 349 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Esther's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Esther.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Esther (1896).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data