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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201944peak #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 1944

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Lester, so not publishedAKMaine: #153 for boys · 7 births · 1 in 1,092 boysMEVermont: fewer than 5 boys named Lester, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 boys named Lester, so not publishedNHWashington: #125 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 773 boysWAIdaho: fewer than 5 boys named Lester, so not publishedIDMontana: #145 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 899 boysMTNorth Dakota: #88 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 408 boysNDMinnesota: #132 for boys · 28 births · 1 in 913 boysMNIllinois: #131 for boys · 68 births · 1 in 979 boysILWisconsin: #105 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 709 boysWIMichigan: #144 for boys · 49 births · 1 in 1,089 boysMINew York: #126 for boys · 93 births · 1 in 1,185 boysNYMassachusetts: #102 for boys · 38 births · 1 in 984 boysMARhode Island: fewer than 5 boys named Lester, so not publishedRIOregon: #140 for boys · 12 births · 1 in 926 boysORNevada: fewer than 5 boys named Lester, so not publishedNVWyoming: fewer than 5 boys named Lester, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: #122 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 659 boysSDIowa: #104 for boys · 37 births · 1 in 584 boysIAIndiana: #134 for boys · 35 births · 1 in 948 boysINOhio: #118 for boys · 77 births · 1 in 812 boysOHPennsylvania: #93 for boys · 115 births · 1 in 728 boysPANew Jersey: #98 for boys · 44 births · 1 in 783 boysNJConnecticut: #155 for boys · 8 births · 1 in 1,938 boysCTCalifornia: #152 for boys · 77 births · 1 in 1,098 boysCAUtah: #208 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 1,431 boysUTColorado: #161 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 1,125 boysCONebraska: #107 for boys · 19 births · 1 in 586 boysNEMissouri: #98 for boys · 60 births · 1 in 541 boysMOKentucky: #102 for boys · 52 births · 1 in 552 boysKYWest Virginia: #133 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 821 boysWVVirginia: #101 for boys · 56 births · 1 in 526 boysVAMaryland: #133 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 1,016 boysMDDelaware: #85 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 488 boysDEArizona: #195 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 1,151 boysAZNew Mexico: #205 for boys · 6 births · 1 in 1,136 boysNMKansas: #127 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 683 boysKSArkansas: #158 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 1,003 boysARTennessee: #120 for boys · 43 births · 1 in 742 boysTNNorth Carolina: #111 for boys · 71 births · 1 in 591 boysNCSouth Carolina: #123 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 724 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #118 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 763 boysDCOklahoma: #116 for boys · 36 births · 1 in 599 boysOKLouisiana: #96 for boys · 61 births · 1 in 442 boysLAMississippi: #102 for boys · 47 births · 1 in 505 boysMSAlabama: #114 for boys · 46 births · 1 in 707 boysALGeorgia: #108 for boys · 64 births · 1 in 570 boysGAHawaii: #103 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 466 boysHITexas: #171 for boys · 89 births · 1 in 886 boysTXFlorida: #119 for boys · 36 births · 1 in 653 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Delaware#85 · 1 in 488
  2. North Dakota#88 · 1 in 408
  3. Pennsylvania#93 · 1 in 728
  4. Louisiana#96 · 1 in 442
  5. Missouri#98 · 1 in 541

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Delaware#8551 in 488
North Dakota#88141 in 408
Pennsylvania#931151 in 728
Louisiana#96611 in 442
Missouri#98601 in 541
New Jersey#98441 in 783
Virginia#101561 in 526
Kentucky#102521 in 552
Massachusetts#102381 in 984
Mississippi#102471 in 505
Hawaii#103111 in 466
Iowa#104371 in 584
Wisconsin#105401 in 709
Nebraska#107191 in 586
Georgia#108641 in 570
North Carolina#111711 in 591
Alabama#114461 in 707
Oklahoma#116361 in 599
District of Columbia#118131 in 763
Ohio#118771 in 812
Florida#119361 in 653
Tennessee#120431 in 742
South Dakota#12281 in 659
South Carolina#123331 in 724
Washington#125261 in 773
New York#126931 in 1,185
Kansas#127231 in 683
Illinois#131681 in 979
Minnesota#132281 in 913
Maryland#133181 in 1,016
West Virginia#133231 in 821
Indiana#134351 in 948
Oregon#140121 in 926
Michigan#144491 in 1,089
Montana#14551 in 899
California#152771 in 1,098
Maine#15371 in 1,092
Connecticut#15581 in 1,938
Arkansas#158201 in 1,003
Colorado#161101 in 1,125
Texas#171891 in 886
Arizona#19561 in 1,151
New Mexico#20561 in 1,136
Utah#20851 in 1,431
Alaska———
Idaho———
Nevada———
New Hampshire———
Rhode Island———
Vermont———
Wyoming———

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 1944

girls
#2,511
13 births · 1 in 102,094 girls
boys
#126
1,651 births · 1 in 825 boys

Top girls' names in 1944

  1. #1Mary62,476
  2. #2Barbara39,196
  3. #3Linda38,415
  4. #4Patricia36,874
  5. #5Carol30,456
  6. #6Sandra26,024
  7. #7Nancy23,218
  8. #8Sharon22,433
  9. #9Judith22,431
  10. #10Betty19,761
  11. #2,511Lester13

Top boys' names in 1944

  1. #1James76,951
  2. #2Robert70,855
  3. #3John66,616
  4. #4William52,375
  5. #5Richard45,643
  6. #6David37,382
  7. #7Charles34,662
  8. #8Thomas31,604
  9. #9Michael26,717
  10. #10Ronald25,513
  11. #126Lester1,651
More about 1944

girls

1,327,223 girls got a published name in 1944; 1 in 102,094 of them was named Lester, which outranked 52.1% of the 5,243 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Lester
  1. #2,401Wilhelmena14
  2. #2,401Wyona14
  3. #2,401Yvonnie14
  4. #2,511Lester13
  5. #2,511Alleen13
  6. #2,511Allen13
  7. #2,511America13
  8. #2,625Adelaida12
  9. #2,625Alanna12
  10. #2,625Alean12

Tied with 113 names at #2,511; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1943
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,229Dorinda#1,834 → #605
  2. ↑ 611Deirdre#1,556 → #945
  3. ↑ 504Alana#1,251 → #747
  4. ↑ 460Elyse#1,327 → #867
  5. ↑ 407Joella#1,395 → #988
Fallers
  1. ↓ 613Michal#996 → #1,609
  2. ↓ 493Aloma#762 → #1,255
  3. ↓ 448Louvenia#916 → #1,364
  4. ↓ 347Norine#889 → #1,236
  5. ↓ 341Lyla#864 → #1,205

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

boys

1,362,875 boys got a published name in 1944; 1 in 825 of them was named Lester, which outranked 96.8% of the 3,909 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 34.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Lester
  1. #123Rodney1,781
  2. #124Calvin1,751
  3. #125Joel1,714
  4. #126Lester1,651
  5. #127Gilbert1,649
  6. #128Jackie1,642
  7. #129Herman1,641
Biggest movers since 1943
Risers
  1. ↑ 647Rickie#1,461 → #814
  2. ↑ 586Rusty#1,577 → #991
  3. ↑ 585Humberto#1,280 → #695
  4. ↑ 408Llewellyn#1,343 → #935
  5. ↑ 402Hilario#1,308 → #906
Fallers
  1. ↓ 359Elwyn#923 → #1,282
  2. ↓ 356Albin#856 → #1,212
  3. ↓ 348Prentiss#980 → #1,328
  4. ↓ 286Barrie#969 → #1,255
  5. ↓ 269Duke#986 → #1,255

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

See the top 100 for 1944 →