Name
Esther
Meaning
Esther is a feminine name of Persian and Hebrew origin meaning “star”.
Esther, the Jewish queen of Persia who saved her people in the biblical book bearing her name, most likely takes her name from the Persian word for star, though some scholars link it to the goddess Ishtar. Long beloved in Jewish families, it now rides the broader revival of vintage biblical names.
Returned to the US girls' top 200 in the 2010s after a long midcentury decline.
Popularity in the United States
Girls
Ranked #119 in 2025 · peak #119 in 2025
Data: US Social Security Administration, top-1000 ranks.
At a glance
- Origin
- Persian and Hebrew
- Gender
- Feminine
- Pronounced
- /ES-ter/
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Questions
Esther is a feminine name of Persian and Hebrew origin meaning “star”. Esther, the Jewish queen of Persia who saved her people in the biblical book bearing her name, most likely takes her name from the Persian word for star, though some scholars link it to the goddess Ishtar.
Esther is traditionally a feminine (girl) name. Returned to the US girls' top 200 in the 2010s after a long midcentury decline.
The name Esther comes from Persian and Hebrew. Esther, the Jewish queen of Persia who saved her people in the biblical book bearing her name, most likely takes her name from the Persian word for star, though some scholars link it to the goddess Ishtar. Long beloved in Jewish families, it now rides the broader revival of vintage biblical names.
Esther is pronounced ES-ter.
More names that mean star
Names that share this meaning.