Meaning not yet researched.
Lester: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 103 in 2025. Its best rank was #52 in 1906.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #52 in 1906; #1,641 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Lester in 2025 was a boy.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#1,641 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1906, at #52.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Lester: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 103 boys in 2025. Peak: #52 in 1906 · most boys in one year: 3,229 (1918).
In 2025, 103 US boys were named Lester, making it the 1,641st most common boys’ name of the year, down 73 places from #1,568 in 2024. That is 8 fewer than the 111 boys named Lester in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #52, reached in 1906. The most boys given the name in a single year was 3,229, in 1918. For comparison, it was #1,561 in 2015 and #148 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Lester in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 109 babies with the name. In all, 132,047 US babies have been given the name, 1.0% of them girls and 99% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1920s, with 26,842 babies named Lester.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 996 US boys were named Lester; the busiest of those years was 2024, with 111. In 2025 that was about 1 in 16,583 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Lester ranked highest in Louisiana in 2025, at #857 for boys there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Rarer spellings such as Lister, Lesther and Leaster are summarised on this page. The open nickname list we use links it to Les.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
No related spellings pass our data threshold.
Rare spellings summarised here: Lister (128), Lesther (93), Leaster (57), Leester (6).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 42 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 5 | #857 | #681 |
| Pennsylvania | 9 | #890 | #687 |
| Tennessee | 6 | #998 | — |
| North Carolina | 6 | #1,226 | #1,080 |
| Georgia | 6 | #1,310 | — |
| New York | 8 | #1,367 | #1,303 |
| Ohio | 5 | #1,398 | #1,319 |
| Florida | 6 | #1,761 | #1,343 |
| Texas | 6 | #2,458 | #1,270 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | — | 103 | #1,641 |
| 2024 | — | — | 111 | #1,568 |
| 2023 | — | — | 82 | #1,921 |
| 2022 | — | — | 96 | #1,744 |
| 2021 | — | — | 109 | #1,588 |
| 2020 | — | — | 109 | #1,533 |
| 2019 | — | — | 100 | #1,639 |
| 2018 | — | — | 93 | #1,695 |
| 2017 | — | — | 88 | #1,760 |
| 2016 | — | — | 105 | #1,570 |
| 2015 | — | — | 104 | #1,561 |
| 2014 | — | — | 106 | #1,520 |
| 2013 | — | — | 125 | #1,359 |
| 2012 | — | — | 104 | #1,537 |
| 2011 | — | — | 102 | #1,556 |
| 2010 | — | — | 118 | #1,411 |
| 2009 | — | — | 127 | #1,358 |
| 2008 | — | — | 142 | #1,231 |
| 2007 | — | — | 120 | #1,379 |
| 2006 | — | — | 146 | #1,159 |
| 2005 | — | — | 128 | #1,239 |
| 2004 | — | — | 137 | #1,148 |
| 2003 | — | — | 148 | #1,053 |
| 2002 | — | — | 139 | #1,081 |
| 2001 | — | — | 142 | #1,039 |
| 2000 | — | — | 144 | #1,019 |
| 1999 | — | — | 173 | #876 |
| 1998 | — | — | 133 | #1,020 |
| 1997 | — | — | 166 | #855 |
| 1996 | — | — | 172 | #834 |
| 1995 | — | — | 179 | #801 |
| 1994 | — | — | 207 | #731 |
| 1993 | — | — | 252 | #649 |
| 1992 | — | — | 251 | #655 |
| 1991 | — | — | 287 | #603 |
| 1990 | — | — | 260 | #631 |
| 1989 | — | — | 314 | #548 |
| 1988 | — | — | 309 | #520 |
| 1987 | — | — | 277 | #548 |
| 1986 | — | — | 302 | #504 |
| 1985 | 6 | #10,045 | 321 | #485 |
| 1984 | 5 | #11,383 | 346 | #450 |
| 1983 | — | — | 399 | #409 |
| 1982 | — | — | 400 | #418 |
| 1981 | — | — | 436 | #387 |
| 1980 | 6 | #9,759 | 466 | #370 |
| 1979 | 7 | #8,558 | 422 | #390 |
| 1978 | 5 | #10,672 | 387 | #392 |
| 1977 | 7 | #8,013 | 453 | #366 |
| 1976 | 6 | #8,728 | 475 | #351 |
| 1975 | — | — | 497 | #344 |
| 1974 | — | — | 471 | #355 |
| 1973 | 5 | #9,150 | 504 | #337 |
| 1972 | 7 | #6,937 | 589 | #311 |
| 1971 | — | — | 632 | #308 |
| 1970 | 9 | #5,624 | 680 | #297 |
| 1969 | 9 | #5,274 | 718 | #277 |
| 1968 | — | — | 747 | #266 |
| 1967 | 8 | #5,234 | 731 | #269 |
| 1966 | 8 | #5,083 | 771 | #261 |
| 1965 | 8 | #5,088 | 956 | #237 |
| 1964 | 13 | #3,801 | 1,000 | #243 |
| 1963 | 16 | #3,261 | 1,101 | #226 |
| 1962 | 8 | #5,114 | 1,117 | #230 |
| 1961 | 12 | #3,900 | 1,284 | #218 |
| 1960 | 12 | #3,819 | 1,316 | #213 |
| 1959 | 15 | #3,186 | 1,335 | #211 |
| 1958 | 14 | #3,310 | 1,466 | #192 |
| 1957 | 9 | #4,398 | 1,636 | #183 |
| 1956 | 14 | #3,254 | 1,702 | #176 |
| 1955 | 15 | #3,046 | 1,691 | #168 |
| 1954 | 17 | #2,750 | 1,758 | #164 |
| 1953 | 16 | #2,757 | 1,776 | #157 |
| 1952 | 20 | #2,372 | 1,724 | #158 |
| 1951 | 13 | #3,028 | 1,722 | #151 |
| 1950 | 14 | #2,843 | 1,758 | #148 |
| 1949 | 15 | #2,681 | 1,752 | #149 |
| 1948 | 13 | #2,897 | 1,781 | #149 |
| 1947 | 15 | #2,703 | 1,944 | #142 |
| 1946 | 10 | #3,341 | 1,669 | #145 |
| 1945 | 13 | #2,541 | 1,618 | #131 |
| 1944 | 13 | #2,574 | 1,651 | #126 |
| 1943 | 20 | #1,974 | 1,764 | #125 |
| 1942 | 14 | #2,485 | 1,749 | #126 |
| 1941 | 16 | #2,146 | 1,563 | #125 |
| 1940 | 19 | #1,872 | 1,591 | #116 |
| 1939 | 12 | #2,507 | 1,549 | #116 |
| 1938 | 18 | #1,912 | 1,604 | #115 |
| 1937 | 12 | #2,513 | 1,576 | #116 |
| 1936 | 17 | #1,921 | 1,546 | #115 |
| 1935 | 18 | #1,883 | 1,626 | #114 |
| 1934 | 18 | #1,876 | 1,687 | #110 |
| 1933 | 19 | #1,809 | 1,644 | #108 |
| 1932 | 18 | #1,920 | 1,813 | #101 |
| 1931 | 24 | #1,573 | 1,919 | #96 |
| 1930 | 24 | #1,638 | 2,020 | #95 |
| 1929 | 30 | #1,406 | 2,106 | #88 |
| 1928 | 33 | #1,353 | 2,229 | #89 |
| 1927 | 40 | #1,245 | 2,440 | #83 |
| 1926 | 31 | #1,466 | 2,539 | #78 |
| 1925 | 22 | #1,872 | 2,559 | #81 |
| 1924 | 34 | #1,423 | 2,780 | #72 |
| 1923 | 36 | #1,318 | 2,765 | #71 |
| 1922 | 37 | #1,299 | 2,951 | #69 |
| 1921 | 33 | #1,421 | 3,076 | #66 |
| 1920 | 33 | #1,390 | 3,068 | #69 |
| 1919 | 35 | #1,306 | 3,020 | #62 |
| 1918 | 36 | #1,268 | 3,229 | #62 |
| 1917 | 35 | #1,228 | 2,854 | #61 |
| 1916 | 23 | #1,614 | 2,907 | #59 |
| 1915 | 28 | #1,354 | 2,943 | #57 |
| 1914 | 12 | #2,072 | 2,164 | #57 |
| 1913 | 17 | #1,437 | 1,736 | #59 |
| 1912 | 20 | #1,199 | 1,443 | #58 |
| 1911 | 7 | #2,083 | 657 | #65 |
| 1910 | 10 | #1,578 | 556 | #64 |
| 1909 | 10 | #1,423 | 501 | #61 |
| 1908 | 13 | #1,175 | 509 | #60 |
| 1907 | 9 | #1,461 | 491 | #58 |
| 1906 | 6 | #1,847 | 482 | #52 |
| 1905 | 18 | #887 | 432 | #57 |
| 1904 | 11 | #1,142 | 398 | #61 |
| 1903 | 8 | #1,391 | 400 | #53 |
| 1902 | 13 | #998 | 385 | #58 |
| 1901 | 6 | #1,575 | 332 | #61 |
| 1900 | 10 | #1,276 | 431 | #60 |
| 1899 | 10 | #1,065 | 290 | #65 |
| 1898 | 9 | #1,222 | 298 | #70 |
| 1897 | 8 | #1,217 | 310 | #62 |
| 1896 | 8 | #1,263 | 318 | #65 |
| 1895 | 5 | #1,722 | 295 | #68 |
| 1894 | — | — | 291 | #69 |
| 1893 | 5 | #1,547 | 243 | #77 |
| 1892 | 10 | #988 | 240 | #81 |
| 1891 | — | — | 191 | #83 |
| 1890 | 5 | #1,431 | 226 | #76 |
| 1889 | 5 | #1,392 | 213 | #82 |
| 1888 | — | — | 189 | #97 |
| 1887 | — | — | 168 | #89 |
| 1886 | 6 | #1,043 | 160 | #98 |
| 1885 | — | — | 141 | #102 |
| 1884 | — | — | 123 | #118 |
| 1883 | — | — | 116 | #111 |
| 1882 | — | — | 134 | #110 |
| 1881 | — | — | 87 | #143 |
| 1880 | — | — | 109 | #121 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).