Contribute your knowledge to the name Esther

Comments and insights on the name Esther

Esther and Hester are anagrams of each other; they contain the same letters.

Some people think that the name esther is a old lady's name but it hink that the name esther sounds sophisticated and intelligent, my friend is called esther she is 14 and she hates it,i always tell her that she should like it but she won't.

To the person above - My cousin's called Esther and she's 14 too and hates her name. Wonder if it's the same person??? :S

I personally like the name Esther, but I agree it's very old and nobody uses it any more, and I would not name a baby Esther. However, I knew 2 sisters in school named Isabel and Esther - the name Isabel has come back and is very popular now, along with Isabella - maybe someday Esther will make a comeback.

When I was a kid I loved to swim, and I loved Esther Williams movies. I thought Esther Williams was very pretty too. I think Esther is a pretty name because of Esther Williams.
Esther means star! :)

I thought Esther was originally a boy name! So it's actually a girl name?! Can it be used for boy?

Don't name a boy Esther! He'll be teased and beat up on the playground every day!!!

Personal experiences with the name Esther

My Great Aunt Esther was very wise.

I hate my name,even if I'm named after my grandma. As a child I was made fun of all through school. The other kids would sing 2 different songs: 1)Esther pester child molester 2)Esther Vader Masturbator. So please think really hard before you name your daughter this.

There was a character in the Mad Magazine called Fester Bestertester. If your name is Esther you could be called Esther Bestertester!

I'm seventeen and I love being called Esther - I don't think it's old fashioned at all, I know two other kids at my school called Esther. I think it's pretty and it means STAR.

It makes me sad to hear these negative things about this name. I had a daughter a year ago and we named her Esther, we typically call her Esther but sometimes call her Estie. We choose this name because we think it's cute and feminine, and it's also a common name that people are familiar with without being too popular. We also like the religious significance of it. It is true that it is an old fashioned name, but older names are the trend right now. Also no matter what name you give your kids, I promise that other kids can find a way to make fun of it. We love our little Esther and I can't imagine her with any other name!

We have a baby we named Estyr and we love it! People constantly tell us it's so pretty...and they love how we spelled it! We have triplets: Lucy, Estyr and Irys, and wanted them to have different names but have something in common. So, we went with the 'y' in all three of their names! :)

I like the spelling Estyr better - more with the times!

Nicknames for Esther

Estee
Hettie
Etta
Essie
Es
Est/Esth
Ettie
Etsy
Tess
Est, Atah, Gus

Meanings and history of the name Esther

"morning star" (Persian)
"hidden" (Hebrew)
Possibly means "star" in Persian. Alternatively it could be a derivative of the name of the Near Eastern goddess ISHTAR. The Book of Esther in the Old Testament tells the story of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia who saved the Jews of the realm from extermination. Her original Hebrew name was Hadassah (myrtle leaf).

This name has been used in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. In America it received a boost in popularity after the birth of Esther Cleveland (1893-1980), the daughter of president Grover Cleveland.

Famous real-life people named Esther

Queen Esther, Jewish second wife of Ahasuerus, who saved her people from annihilation as told in the biblical Book of Esther.
Esther Kaplan, sister of Avriel 'Avi' Kaplan, Grammy award winning artist, alongside other members of Pentatonix.
Esther Williams, American competitive swimmer and film actress
Esther Cañadas, Spanish actress and model
Esther Dyson, digital technology expert
Esther "Eppie" Pauline Lederer, advice columnist, better known as Ann Landers
Esther Rantzen, English journalist and television host
Esther Earl, author of "This Star Won't go Out" and honouree of John Green's book, "The Fault in our Stars"

Esther in song, story & screen

Esther Greenwood, the semi-authobiographical heroine of Sylvia Plath's novel The Bell Jar.
Esther Smith, heroine of the 1944 movie "Meet Me in St. Louis", played by Judy Garland.
Esther Summerson, herione of Charles Dickens's novel Bleak House.
Esther, main antagonist of 2009 horror film Orphan, 9-year-old murderous girl, portraied by Isabelle Furhman
Esther Mikaelson, the original witch from "The Vampire Diaries" and "The Originals"
Esther Blodgett-Main character in the film "A Star is Born" eventually renamed Vicki Lester.