Lester

Last seen for girls in 1985 at #9,307 · #1,634 for boys in 2025, 103 births
Given to boys 99.0% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1906 · 482 births
Debut · boys
109 births
In top 100 · boys
46 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
130,688
since 1880

Lester over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201937peak #52, 1906boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025—#1,634103
2024—#1,563111
2023—#1,90982
2022—#1,73796
2021—#1,583109
2020—#1,528109
2019—#1,634100
2018—#1,68793
2017—#1,74688
2016—#1,563105
2015—#1,555104
2014—#1,514106
2013—#1,352125
2012—#1,535104
2011—#1,544102
2010—#1,408118
2009—#1,353127
2008—#1,227142
2007—#1,376120
2006—#1,154146
2005—#1,233128
2004—#1,144137
2003—#1,049148
2002—#1,079139
2001—#1,035142
2000—#1,015144
1999—#873173
1998—#1,017133
1997—#852166
1996—#832172
1995—#801179
1994—#728207
1993—#648252
1992—#654251
1991—#601287
1990—#631260
1989—#547314
1988—#519309
1987—#548277
1986—#504302
1985#9,3076#485321
1984#10,4225#450346
1983—#409399
1982—#418400
1981—#387436
1980#9,0956#370466
1979#8,0617#390422
1978#9,7505#392387
1977#7,5677#366453
1976#8,1566#350475
1975—#344497
1974—#355471
1973#8,4235#337504
1972#6,5587#311589
1971—#308632
1970#5,4139#297680
1969#5,0579#277718
1968—#266747
1967#4,9828#269731
1966#4,8668#261771
1965#4,8318#237956
1964#3,69213#2431,000
1963#3,17616#2261,101
1962#4,8658#2291,117
1961#3,79312#2181,284
1960#3,68812#2131,316
1959#3,10415#2111,335
1958#3,23214#1921,466
1957#4,2029#1831,636
1956#3,18614#1761,702
1955#2,97115#1681,691
1954#2,69517#1641,758
1953#2,69916#1571,776
1952#2,32720#1581,724
1951#2,93713#1511,722
1950#2,78114#1481,758
1949#2,62015#1491,752
1948#2,82813#1491,781
1947#2,63715#1421,944
1946#3,21710#1451,669
1945#2,45813#1311,618
1944#2,51113#1261,651
1943#1,94920#1251,764
1942#2,41614#1261,749
1941#2,09616#1251,563
1940#1,84519#1161,591
1939#2,41712#1161,549
1938#1,87318#1151,604
1937#2,44812#1161,576
1936#1,87317#1151,546
1935#1,84518#1141,626
1934#1,83418#1101,687
1933#1,77319#1081,644
1932#1,87718#1011,813
1931#1,54924#961,919
1930#1,60724#952,020
1929#1,39330#882,106
1928#1,33833#892,229
1927#1,23340#832,440
1926#1,44931#782,539
1925#1,84722#812,559
1924#1,40934#722,780
1923#1,30536#712,765
1922#1,28537#692,951
1921#1,40933#663,076
1920#1,37533#693,068
1919#1,29735#623,020
1918#1,25536#623,229
1917#1,21935#612,854
1916#1,58123#592,907
1915#1,33928#572,943
1914#2,00912#572,164
1913#1,40517#591,736
1912#1,17820#581,443
1911#1,9567#65657
1910#1,52110#64556
1909#1,36910#61501
1908#1,13513#60509
1907#1,3849#58491
1906#1,7276#52482
1905#87218#57432
1904#1,09211#61398
1903#1,3188#53400
1902#97213#58385
1901#1,4666#61332
1900#1,23110#60431
1899#1,03410#65290
1898#1,1719#70298
1897#1,1678#61310
1896#1,2138#65318
1895#1,5925#68295
1894—#69291
1893#1,4375#77243
1892#95810#80240
1891—#83191
1890#1,3385#76226
1889#1,2795#82213
1888—#97189
1887—#89168
1886#9936#98160
1885—#101141
1884—#118123
1883—#111116
1882—#109134
1881—#14287
1880—#121109
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Lester was already there! It came in at #121, and was given to 109 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 2014–2025, when fewer than 120 boys a year got the name.

Where Lester is popular in 1937

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Lester, so not publishedAKMaine: #105 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 516 boysMEVermont: #95 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 483 boysVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 boys named Lester, so not publishedNHWashington: #127 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 779 boysWAIdaho: #81 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 323 boysIDMontana: #114 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 596 boysMTNorth Dakota: #94 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 386 boysNDMinnesota: #105 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 530 boysMNIllinois: #99 for boys · 85 births · 1 in 636 boysILWisconsin: #100 for boys · 42 births · 1 in 572 boysWIMichigan: #118 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 871 boysMINew York: #107 for boys · 100 births · 1 in 857 boysNYMassachusetts: #136 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 1,575 boysMARhode Island: fewer than 5 boys named Lester, so not publishedRIOregon: #118 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 655 boysORNevada: fewer than 5 boys named Lester, so not publishedNVWyoming: #86 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 333 boysWYSouth Dakota: #92 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 366 boysSDIowa: #104 for boys · 36 births · 1 in 537 boysIAIndiana: #78 for boys · 55 births · 1 in 462 boysINOhio: #102 for boys · 73 births · 1 in 685 boysOHPennsylvania: #90 for boys · 112 births · 1 in 657 boysPANew Jersey: #104 for boys · 28 births · 1 in 879 boysNJConnecticut: #111 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 993 boysCTCalifornia: #139 for boys · 48 births · 1 in 899 boysCAUtah: #110 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 426 boysUTColorado: #120 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 601 boysCONebraska: #136 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 750 boysNEMissouri: #122 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 664 boysMOKentucky: #116 for boys · 43 births · 1 in 598 boysKYWest Virginia: #110 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 579 boysWVVirginia: #122 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 670 boysVAMaryland: #103 for boys · 17 births · 1 in 689 boysMDDelaware: fewer than 5 boys named Lester, so not publishedDEArizona: fewer than 5 boys named Lester, so not publishedAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 boys named Lester, so not publishedNMKansas: #88 for boys · 35 births · 1 in 373 boysKSArkansas: #89 for boys · 38 births · 1 in 462 boysARTennessee: #100 for boys · 47 births · 1 in 549 boysTNNorth Carolina: #115 for boys · 56 births · 1 in 626 boysNCSouth Carolina: #121 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 712 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #90 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 492 boysDCOklahoma: #105 for boys · 41 births · 1 in 488 boysOKLouisiana: #70 for boys · 69 births · 1 in 292 boysLAMississippi: #99 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 518 boysMSAlabama: #127 for boys · 37 births · 1 in 748 boysALGeorgia: #99 for boys · 60 births · 1 in 485 boysGAHawaii: fewer than 5 boys named Lester, so not publishedHITexas: #154 for boys · 76 births · 1 in 747 boysTXFlorida: #81 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 401 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Louisiana#70 · 1 in 292
  2. Indiana#78 · 1 in 462
  3. Idaho#81 · 1 in 323
  4. Florida#81 · 1 in 401
  5. Wyoming#86 · 1 in 333

Best ever in a state: #21 in Wyoming, 1913.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Louisiana#70691 in 292
Indiana#78551 in 462
Florida#81321 in 401
Idaho#81131 in 323
Wyoming#8651 in 333
Kansas#88351 in 373
Arkansas#89381 in 462
District of Columbia#90101 in 492
Pennsylvania#901121 in 657
South Dakota#92131 in 366
North Dakota#94141 in 386
Vermont#9551 in 483
Georgia#99601 in 485
Illinois#99851 in 636
Mississippi#99401 in 518
Tennessee#100471 in 549
Wisconsin#100421 in 572
Ohio#102731 in 685
Maryland#103171 in 689
Iowa#104361 in 537
New Jersey#104281 in 879
Maine#105121 in 516
Minnesota#105401 in 530
Oklahoma#105411 in 488
New York#1071001 in 857
Utah#110121 in 426
West Virginia#110321 in 579
Connecticut#111101 in 993
Montana#11471 in 596
North Carolina#115561 in 626
Kentucky#116431 in 598
Michigan#118481 in 871
Oregon#118101 in 655
Colorado#120151 in 601
South Carolina#121271 in 712
Missouri#122401 in 664
Virginia#122331 in 670
Alabama#127371 in 748
Washington#127141 in 779
Massachusetts#136181 in 1,575
Nebraska#136131 in 750
California#139481 in 899
Texas#154761 in 747
Alaska———
Arizona———
Delaware———
Hawaii———
Nevada———
New Hampshire———
New Mexico———
Rhode Island———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Lester
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 71 spots since 2024 (#1,563 → #1,634)
  • 106 spots since 2020 (#1,528 → #1,634)
  • 79 spots since 2015 (#1,555 → #1,634)
  • Biggest jump: 144 spots in 1999 (#1,017 → #873)
  • Biggest drop: 165 spots in 1998 (#852 → #1,017)
Rise & fade · boys
26 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1906 at #52 (482 births)
  • Births halved by 1994, 88 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 46 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 46 yrs · run 1886–1931
  • Top 1,000: 119 yrs · run 1880–1997
Share of babies · boys
1 in 276
  • Highest: 1 in 276 boys born in 1906 were named Lester (0.36%)
  • Latest: 1 in 16,583 boys born in 2025 (0.01%)
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 20.3% of all boys named Lester (26,513) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s1,440#82 (1889)#107
1890s2,702#61 (1897)#71
1900s4,361#52 (1906)#58
1910s21,509#57 (1915)#60
1920s26,513#66 (1921)#77
1930s16,984#95 (1930)#109
1940s17,082#116 (1940)#133
1950s16,568#148 (1950)#171
1960s9,741#213 (1960)#244
1970s5,110#297 (1970)#345
1980s3,570#370 (1980)#464
1990s2,080#601 (1991)#764
2000s1,373#1,015 (2000)#1,167
2010s1,045#1,352 (2013)#1,554
2020s610#1,528 (2020)#1,659

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Lester in 1937

girls
#2,448
12 births · 1 in 88,669 girls
boys
#116
1,576 births · 1 in 677 boys

Top girls' names in 1937

  1. #1Mary55,641
  2. #2Barbara34,917
  3. #3Patricia26,838
  4. #4Shirley26,823
  5. #5Betty25,337
  6. #6Carol17,336
  7. #7Nancy17,074
  8. #8Dorothy16,572
  9. #9Joan15,301
  10. #10Margaret15,144
  11. #2,448Lester12

Top boys' names in 1937

  1. #1Robert61,842
  2. #2James56,561
  3. #3John48,755
  4. #4William40,725
  5. #5Richard32,975
  6. #6Charles30,520
  7. #7Donald27,868
  8. #8David20,981
  9. #9Thomas19,772
  10. #10George18,439
  11. #116Lester1,576
More about 1937

girls

1,064,033 girls got a published name in 1937; 1 in 88,669 of them was named Lester, which outranked 50.3% of the 4,930 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Lester
  1. #2,317Willean13
  2. #2,317Willow13
  3. #2,317Zenaida13
  4. #2,448Lester12
  5. #2,448Abelina12
  6. #2,448Agustina12
  7. #2,448Aleene12
  8. #2,570Adrianna11
  9. #2,570Aldean11
  10. #2,570Aldona11

Tied with 121 names at #2,448; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1936
Risers
  1. ↑ 3,217Noreta#4,181 → #964
  2. ↑ 2,845Noretta#3,701 → #856
  3. ↑ 2,351Leilani#3,103 → #752
  4. ↑ 1,407Deann#2,263 → #856
  5. ↑ 1,209Norita#1,741 → #532
Fallers
  1. ↓ 438Dorla#951 → #1,389
  2. ↓ 331Vilma#951 → #1,282
  3. ↓ 303Imelda#979 → #1,282
  4. ↓ 297Lulu#695 → #992
  5. ↓ 292Lyda#840 → #1,132

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,066,659 boys got a published name in 1937; 1 in 677 of them was named Lester, which outranked 97.1% of the 4,020 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Lester
  1. #113Terry1,684
  2. #114Cecil1,635
  3. #115Duane1,630
  4. #116Lester1,576
  5. #117Victor1,542
  6. #118Johnnie1,477
  7. #119Benjamin1,422
Biggest movers since 1936
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,923Tyrone#2,629 → #706
  2. ↑ 558Lamont#1,540 → #982
  3. ↑ 540Lary#1,540 → #1,000
  4. ↑ 416Errol#906 → #490
  5. ↑ 399Levon#1,356 → #957
Fallers
  1. ↓ 492Gaston#989 → #1,481
  2. ↓ 461Gorden#827 → #1,288
  3. ↓ 432Sergio#940 → #1,372
  4. ↓ 371Landon#422 → #793
  5. ↓ 347Harlen#747 → #1,094

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1937 →