Vester
A masculine Scandinavian name derived from "vest" meaning "west" or "westerner".
Name Census estimates that about 783 living Americans carry the first name Vester. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 79.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Vester today is around 73 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Vester births was 1924 (95 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Vester. 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
- • The typical person named Vester is about 73 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Vesters were born before 1963.
People living today
783
~ 1 in 437,745 Americans
Peak year
1924
95 babies that year
Average age
73
years old
1991 SSA rank
#6,747
Tracked since 1882
Census
Vester in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 729 people with the first name Vester, which placed it at #15,699 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#15,699
National first-name rank
People counted
729
729 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
55.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Vester
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vester is White at 55.8%. The next largest groups are Black (39.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Vester described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Vester at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.8% · 407
- Black or African American39.0% · 284
- Two or more races2.6% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 3
Gender
Gender distribution for Vester
Vester is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 3,228 total registrations, 2,566 (79.5%) were male and 662 (20.5%) were female.
Vester as a male name
- Ranked #9,584 in 1991
- 5 male births in 1991
- Peak: 1922 (74 births)
Vester as a female name
- Ranked #6,747 in 1964
- 6 female births in 1964
- Peak: 1919 (25 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Vester leans strongly male. 601 people counted with this name were male (81.3%), compared with 138 female bearers (18.7%).
Popularity
Vester: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Vester from the 1880s through to the 1990s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 778 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Vester 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 Vester during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Vesters live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. Alabama, North Carolina, Arkansas recorded the most babies named Vester, while West Virginia, Missouri, Kentucky recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 85 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Vester
The name Vester is a masculine given name of uncertain origin, though it has been suggested to have roots in various languages, including Latin and Old Norse. Its earliest recorded use dates back to the Middle Ages, when it was relatively common in parts of Europe.
One theory traces the name's origins to the Latin word "vester," which means "yours" or "your." This could imply a sense of possession or belonging associated with the name. Alternatively, some scholars have proposed a connection to the Old Norse word "vestr," meaning "west," potentially linking the name to geographical connotations.
In ancient texts and historical records, the name Vester appears sporadically. It is mentioned in a few medieval manuscripts, though its precise context and meaning remain ambiguous. Some scholars have speculated that it may have been used as a surname or a place name in certain regions.
The earliest recorded individual bearing the name Vester is Vester Baerentsen, a Norwegian landowner and chieftain who lived in the 12th century. His name is documented in the Icelandic sagas, which recount the history and legends of the Norse people.
Another notable figure was Vester Petersen, a Danish merchant and explorer who lived in the 16th century. He is known for his voyages to Greenland and his efforts to establish trade routes in the Arctic regions.
In the 17th century, Vester van Brugge was a Flemish painter renowned for his landscapes and seascapes. His works are preserved in various museums across Europe, showcasing his artistic talent and contribution to the Baroque period.
The 18th century saw the rise of Vester Knudsen, a Norwegian theologian and author. He wrote extensively on religious topics and is recognized for his influential sermons and writings that shaped the spiritual landscape of his time.
Moving into the 19th century, Vester Olsen was a Danish architect who left a lasting impact on the urban landscape of Copenhagen. He designed several iconic buildings, including the renowned Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, a prestigious art museum that still stands today.
These are just a few examples of individuals who bore the name Vester throughout history, each contributing to their respective fields and leaving a mark on the cultural and intellectual landscapes of their eras.
People
Vester + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Vester as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with V
Other first names starting with V with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Vester: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Vester?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 783 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Vester 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 1 in 437,745 US residents.
Is Vester a common name?
We classify Vester as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,228 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Vester most popular?
The single biggest year for Vester was 1924, when 95 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Vester is about 73 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Vester in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 729 people with the name Vester, or 0.24 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,699 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Vester in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Vester?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Vester leans strongly male. 601 people counted with this name were male (81.3%), compared with 138 female bearers (18.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Vester?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Vester is White at 55.8%. The next largest groups are Black (39.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Vester most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Vester in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.8% (407 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Vester in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Vester a male name?
Yes, 79.5% of people registered as Vester 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 Vester still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Vester 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 Vester 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.
How many people share the name Vester?
Want to know how many people have the name Vester? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.