Find out how popular the first name Vashti has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Vashti by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Vashti is exclusively a female name.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 15 female babies and 0 male babies born with the name Vashti.

The history of the first name Vashti

The name Vashti is of Persian origin, derived from the Old Persian word 'vashti', meaning 'best' or 'most beautiful'. It first appeared in ancient texts around the 5th century BCE, during the reign of the Persian Achaemenid Empire.

One of the earliest known references to the name Vashti is found in the Biblical Book of Esther, where Vashti was the Queen of Persia and the first wife of King Ahasuerus (also known as Xerxes I). According to the story, Queen Vashti defied the King's order to appear before him and his guests, leading to her deposition and eventual replacement by Esther.

The name Vashti gained further recognition in the 17th century with the publication of the play 'Queen Vashti' by the English playwright Thomas Sackville in 1590. This play portrayed Vashti as a courageous and principled woman who stood up against her husband's unjust demands.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Vashti was Vashti Cromwell (1608-1648), the daughter of Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Another notable person with this name was Vashti Bunyan (1675-1692), the daughter of the famous English writer and preacher John Bunyan, author of 'The Pilgrim's Progress'.

In the 19th century, Vashti Lewis (1824-1912) was an African American educator and activist who founded the Vashti Industrial School in Thomasville, Georgia, one of the first schools for African American girls in the state. Vashti Vineyards, established in 1854, is one of the oldest wineries in South Africa and was named after Vashti, the wife of the founder, John Xaviere Munnik.

Another notable figure was Vashti McCollum (1888-1960), an American activist who challenged the religious instruction in public schools in the landmark Supreme Court case 'McCollum v. Board of Education' in 1948, which ruled that religious instruction in public schools was unconstitutional.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Vashti was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Vashti, please contact us.

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