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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201954peak #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 1954

girls
#2,695
17 births · 1 in 114,230 girls
boys
#164
1,758 births · 1 in 1,160 boys

Top girls' names in 1954

  1. #1Mary68,019
  2. #2Linda55,371
  3. #3Deborah54,674
  4. #4Patricia49,149
  5. #5Susan47,162
  6. #6Debra45,896
  7. #7Barbara36,368
  8. #8Karen32,456
  9. #9Nancy30,270
  10. #10Cynthia27,615
  11. #2,695Lester17

Top boys' names in 1954

  1. #1Michael88,568
  2. #2Robert86,331
  3. #3James86,311
  4. #4John81,168
  5. #5David79,556
  6. #6William61,426
  7. #7Richard57,042
  8. #8Thomas47,159
  9. #9Gary37,920
  10. #10Charles37,463
  11. #164Lester1,758
More about 1954

girls

1,941,915 girls got a published name in 1954; 1 in 114,230 of them was named Lester, which outranked 59.3% of the 6,625 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. #2,592Van18
  2. #2,592Vanetta18
  3. #2,592Vernon18
  4. #2,695Lester17
  5. #2,695Acquanetta17
  6. #2,695Adelle17
  7. #2,695Adina17
  8. #2,779Albertine16
  9. #2,779Alfred16
  10. #2,779Alix16

Tied with 83 names at #2,695; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1953
Risers
  1. 1,699Sherree#2,699#1,000
  2. 1,434Sabrina#2,236#802
  3. 932Valinda#1,738#806
  4. 748Sheree#1,071#323
  5. 421Sherie#1,248#827
Fallers
  1. 396Enola#948#1,344
  2. 311Ila#782#1,093
  3. 302Nancie#816#1,118
  4. 282Arline#904#1,186
  5. 269Candyce#944#1,213

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

boys

2,038,751 boys got a published name in 1954; 1 in 1,160 of them was named Lester, which outranked 96.2% of the 4,360 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 32.5% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Lester
  1. #161Clyde1,777
  2. #162Donnie1,770
  3. #163Randolph1,765
  4. #164Lester1,758
  5. #165Dana1,741
  6. #166Karl1,736
  7. #167Kent1,721
Biggest movers since 1953
Risers
  1. 592Ricci#1,331#739
  2. 470Demetrius#1,357#887
  3. 382Crawford#1,378#996
  4. 310Gavin#1,139#829
  5. 296Dino#1,058#762
Fallers
  1. 504Arlin#878#1,382
  2. 347Adan#895#1,242
  3. 345Dayton#966#1,311
  4. 302Garey#966#1,268
  5. 293Bartholomew#975#1,268

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

See the top 100 for 1954