Lester was one of the most popular name for boys at the turn of the twentieth century. It is interesting that a surname based on a place can become so well-liked as a first name. Unfortunately, Lester is one of the old-fashioned names that may not make a comeback as it has not been a top 1,000 name since 1999.
Meaning of the name Lester:
English: from Leicaster
Origin of the name Lester:
Lester began as a surname for families from Leicester in England. It was the phonetic version of the city name. Leicester, and ultimately Lester, come from the name of the river that runs through, which is Ligore, and the Latin word “castra.”
Symbolism of the name Lester:
Most agree that Lester still means “from Leicester,” just like the surname. Some believe, however, that Lester could mean “river camp.” This is because the Latin word “castra” that forms the city name means “camp.”
Style of the name Lester:
Traditional
Gender of the name Lester:
Lester is an old-fashioned baby name for boys.
Pronunciation of the name Lester:
LEHS-ter
Number of syllables in the name Lester:
Two
Emotion evoked from the name Lester:
Lester is a vintage-sounding baby name. This gives it a sense of maturity and class.
Alternative spellings for the name Lester:
- Leister
- Lesster
Nicknames for the name Lester:
- Les
- Lesty
- Lestie
- Lesti
- Lest
- Leso
Popularity of the name Lester:
From 1900 to 1931, Lester was a top 100 baby name in America. It ranked at number 52 in 1906, which was the highest ever. The name remained a top 200 option until 1958 and a top 300 until 1970. Lester did drop off after 1999 to not return to the top 1,000 list again, at rank 882.
Related names for the name Lester:
Great middle names for Lester and their meanings:
- Arthur (bear)
- Justis (upright, just, righteous)
- Dryden (dry town, valley)
- Keelan (small, slim)
- Brinley (hill meadow)
- Kendall (royal valley)
- Ernest (serious, battle to death)
- Todd (fox)
Famous people with the name Lester:
- Lester Holt (news anchor)
- Lester Pearson (former prime minister of Canada)
- Lester Piggott (jockey)
- Lester Young (saxophonist)
- Lester Bowie (trumpeter)
- Lester Bangs (music journalist)
- Lester Maddox (Georgia governor)
- Lester Pearson (previous Nobel Peace Prize winner)
Lesters in popular culture:
- Lester Burnham (character from “American Beauty”)
- Lester Murphy (character from “Rounders”)
- Lester Nygaard (character from “Fargo”)
- Lester DeRosso (character from “Bravely Default”)
- Lester Papadopoulos (character from “The Trials of Apollo”)
- Lester McKinley (character from “Alice”)
- Lester (character from “Beakman's World”)