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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201939peak #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.

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 1939

girls
#2,417
12 births · 1 in 91,384 girls
boys
#116
1,549 births · 1 in 715 boys

Top girls' names in 1939

  1. #1Mary54,900
  2. #2Barbara37,257
  3. #3Patricia29,701
  4. #4Betty23,639
  5. #5Shirley20,447
  6. #6Carol20,166
  7. #7Nancy19,723
  8. #8Judith16,625
  9. #9Dorothy15,169
  10. #10Margaret14,949
  11. #2,417Lester12

Top boys' names in 1939

  1. #1Robert59,666
  2. #2James59,636
  3. #3John51,025
  4. #4William42,071
  5. #5Richard35,386
  6. #6Charles30,789
  7. #7David25,360
  8. #8Donald24,056
  9. #9Thomas22,129
  10. #10Ronald19,837
  11. #116Lester1,549
More about 1939

girls

1,096,612 girls got a published name in 1939; 1 in 91,384 of them was named Lester, which outranked 51.2% of the 4,950 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Lester
  1. #2,300Willena13
  2. #2,300Zena13
  3. #2,300Zoila13
  4. #2,417Lester12
  5. #2,417Adrianna12
  6. #2,417Alena12
  7. #2,417Alvie12
  8. #2,592Adair11
  9. #2,592Adelfa11
  10. #2,592Albertina11

Tied with 174 names at #2,417; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1938
Risers
  1. 880April#1,805#925
  2. 865Karel#1,703#838
  3. 725Hedy#1,650#925
  4. 722Vivien#1,703#981
  5. 709Karon#1,547#838
Fallers
  1. 712Eulalia#972#1,684
  2. 446Shelvia#955#1,401
  3. 358Naoma#992#1,350
  4. 304Imelda#890#1,194
  5. 279Helaine#870#1,149

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

boys

1,106,852 boys got a published name in 1939; 1 in 715 of them was named Lester, which outranked 97.1% of the 3,968 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Lester
  1. #113Arnold1,617
  2. #114Cecil1,578
  3. #115Gilbert1,553
  4. #116Lester1,549
  5. #117Keith1,506
  6. #118Duane1,494
  7. #119Victor1,475
Biggest movers since 1938
Risers
  1. 463Alfonzo#1,439#976
  2. 447Rod#1,439#992
  3. 443Estel#1,397#954
  4. 422Cameron#1,364#942
  5. 421Turner#1,337#916
Fallers
  1. 518Gonzalo#779#1,297
  2. 497Judge#992#1,489
  3. 396Melville#963#1,359
  4. 355Agustin#883#1,238
  5. 351Antone#921#1,272

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

See the top 100 for 1939