Olester
Derived from the old English name Olaf, a masculine Germanic name of Scandinavian origin.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Olester. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Olester today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Olester births was 1928 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Olester. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Olester. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1928
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1928 SSA rank
#4,574
Tracked since 1928
Popularity
Olester: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Olester by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Olester during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Olester
The given name Olester finds its origins in the Old English language, derived from the combination of the Germanic root words "Ole" meaning "ancestor" and "ster" meaning "bright" or "shining." This name emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period in England, roughly between the 5th and 11th centuries AD.
Olester was primarily used in the regions of present-day southern and eastern England, where the Anglo-Saxon tribes had settled. The name's earliest known usage can be traced back to the 8th century, as evidenced by its appearance in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror.
Interestingly, the name Olester held significance in Norse mythology, where it was associated with the god Odin, also known as the "All-Father" or the "Shining One." This connection may have contributed to the name's popularity among the Norse-influenced Anglo-Saxon tribes.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Olester. One of the earliest recorded figures was Olester of Mercia (c. 685–757), a renowned scholar and theologian who played a crucial role in the establishment of the Mercian kingdom in central England during the 8th century.
Another prominent figure was Olester the Scribe (c. 920–988), a renowned calligrapher and illuminator of manuscripts at the Monastery of St. Albans in Hertfordshire, England. His intricate and beautifully decorated works were highly sought after by nobility and religious institutions alike.
In the 12th century, Olester of Arundel (c. 1095–1157) gained recognition as a skilled architect and stonemason, contributing to the construction of several notable cathedrals and abbeys across southern England, including the renowned Arundel Cathedral.
During the Middle Ages, Olester de Montfort (c. 1250–1318) was a respected knight and military commander who fought alongside King Edward I in the Welsh Wars and the Scottish Wars of Independence.
Lastly, in the 16th century, Olester Wycliffe (c. 1510–1572) was a renowned English scholar and translator who played a pivotal role in the early English Reformation by advocating for the translation of the Bible into the vernacular language.
People
Olester + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Olester as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Olester: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Olester?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Olester going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Olester a common name?
We classify Olester as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Olester most popular?
The single biggest year for Olester was 1928, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Olester is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Olester in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Olester a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Olester in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Olester still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Olester in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Olester can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Olester?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.