2000
#13,875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,997
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Ester
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Persian word "sitar," meaning "tailor" or "garment-stitcher."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,268 Americans carry the last name Ester. That puts it at #14,503 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,126 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ester surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ester with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 151,126
Census rank
#14,503
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,978 bearers of the surname Ester in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14503rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ester, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.1%. The next largest groups are White (37.1%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ester
The surname "Ester" is of German origin, derived from the medieval German word "ester," which means "Easter." It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century as a surname for someone who was born or baptized around the Easter holiday.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Ester" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, Germany. In this manuscript, dated around 1300, there is a reference to a person named "Conradus Ester."
The name "Ester" is also closely tied to the German town of Esterau, which was first mentioned in historical records in the 13th century. It is possible that the surname "Ester" may have originated from this place name or vice versa.
In the 16th century, the surname "Ester" appeared in various records across Germany, including the Palatinate region. One notable individual from this era was Hans Ester (c. 1520 - c. 1590), a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Heidelberg.
As the name spread throughout Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as "Estere," "Esterre," and "Esterre." In the 17th century, the Dutch painter Jan Ester (1635 - 1681) was a prominent figure who carried this surname.
Another notable person with the surname "Ester" was Johann Georg Ester (1738 - 1794), a German composer and organist who lived in the 18th century. He is known for his contributions to the development of church music in Germany.
In the 19th century, the name "Ester" appeared in various parts of Europe, including France and England. One example is the French writer and journalist Pierre Ester (1823 - 1895), who wrote for several Parisian newspapers.
While the surname "Ester" is relatively uncommon today, it continues to be found in various parts of the world, particularly in areas with German or Dutch cultural influence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ester
Among Census respondents with the surname Ester, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.1%. The next largest groups are White (37.1%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ester bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ester surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American53.1% · 1,051
- White37.1% · 734
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 93
- Two or more races3.6% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ester
Ester appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,233
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,308
+311 bearers (+15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 642 places
2020
#14,503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,978
-330 bearers (-14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 1,270 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,875 | 1,997 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,233 | 2,308 | 0.78 | +311 bearers (+15.6%) | Up 642 places |
| 2020 | #14,503 | 1,978 | 0.66 | -330 bearers (-14.3%) | Down 1,270 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ester surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,233 | #14,503 | -9.6% |
| Count | 2,308 | 1,978 | -14.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.66 | -15.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ester bearers went from 2,308 to 1,978 (-14.3% change). The surname moved down 1,270 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,233 to #14,503.
FAQ
Ester surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ester?
Name Census estimates that about 2,268 living Americans carry the surname Ester. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,126 residents.
How common is Ester?
Ester ranks #14,503 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,978 people with the surname Ester. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,268), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ester.
Has Ester become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ester went from 2,308 recorded bearers to 1,978. That is a decrease of 330 (-14.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,233 to #14,503.
What does the Census say about the background of Ester?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ester, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.1%. The next largest groups are White (37.1%) and Hispanic (4.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ester in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.1% (1,051 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ester appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (53.1%), White (37.1%), Hispanic (4.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ester (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ester mean?
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Persian word "sitar," meaning "tailor" or "garment-stitcher." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ester (0.66 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Ester?
See how many people have the last name Ester on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.