How common is the surname Hester?

35,642 people in the United States had the surname Hester in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 8,662 Americans. It ranked 976th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Hester?

Michael Hester, Australian soccer referee and New Zealand rugby union footballer, followed by Carl Hester.

Where is the surname Hester most common?

Wikidata records people named Hester in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 1 other country.

How do you pronounce Hester?

Hester is /ˈhɛstɚ/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Hester getting more or less common?

More common. 34,675 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 35,642 in 2010, up 2.8%.

Is Hester also a first name?

Yes. Hester is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Hester

A German surname, carried by 35,642 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈhɛstɚ/ 2 syllables Soundex H236 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Hester is more common than 99.4% of them.

Origin

German origin

From the Latin form of Esther.

One of 1,101 German surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 35,642 people named Hester in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 8,662 Americans. That is up 2.8% since 2000, when the Census counted 34,675.

#976

rank among US surnames

35,642

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+2.8%

change since 2000 (was #919)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#967	Schmitt	36,043	8,566
#968	Stanton	35,997	8,577
#969	Leal	35,958	8,586
#970	Cherry	35,877	8,606
#971	Compton	35,830	8,617
#972	Dudley	35,781	8,629
#973	Sierra	35,770	8,631

Who is named Hester

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

73% of people named Hester identified as white (not Hispanic), 22% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.2% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 73%
Black (not Hispanic) 22%
Two or more races 2.2%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Hesters

8 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Michael Hester
Australian soccer referee and New Zealand rugby union footballer, born 1972
Carl Hester
British dressage rider, born 1967
Devin Hester
American football player (born 1982)
Paul Hester
Australian musician (1959–2005)
Rita Hester
African American trans woman, murder victim, and inspirer of Transgender Day of Remembranc, 1963–1998
Laurel Hester
American activist and police officer (1956-2006)
Joy Hester
Australian painter (1920-1960)
Stephen Hester
British banker, born 1960

Notable Hesters come mostly from the United States (3), the United Kingdom (2) and Australia (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Hester

Hester has the Soundex code H236, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code H236.

Other German surnames

All 1,101 German surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Hester come from?: From the Latin form of Esther.
How common is the surname Hester?: 35,642 people in the United States had the surname Hester in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 8,662 Americans. It ranked 976th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Hester?: In the 2010 Census, 73% of people named Hester identified as white (not Hispanic), and 22% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Hester?: Michael Hester, Australian soccer referee and New Zealand rugby union footballer, followed by Carl Hester.
Where is the surname Hester most common?: Wikidata records people named Hester in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 1 other country.
How do you pronounce Hester?: Hester is /ˈhɛstɚ/, 2 syllables.
Is the surname Hester getting more or less common?: More common. 34,675 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 35,642 in 2010, up 2.8%.
Is Hester also a first name?: Yes. Hester is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.