Find out how popular the last name Esters is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Esters.

Esters, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Esters surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Esters in America

Esters is the 17720th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Esters surname appeared 1,582 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Esters.

We can also compare 2010 data for Esters to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Esters

The surname Esters is believed to have originated in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "ester," which means "to fast" or "to abstain from food." This suggests that the name may have been associated with religious or monastic orders that practiced fasting.

The earliest known records of the name Esters can be found in the city of Cologne, where it was mentioned in church records and municipal documents from the late 1500s. Some variations of the name include Ester, Esther, and Estres.

One notable early bearer of the name was Johann Esters, a German theologian and scholar who lived from 1566 to 1629. He was a professor of theology at the University of Heidelberg and wrote several influential works on Protestant theology.

In the 17th century, the name Esters appeared in the town of Weingarten, located in the region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. A prominent figure from this area was Georg Esters, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived from 1632 to 1698.

The name Esters also has ties to the town of Estershaus, a small village in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is believed that some members of the Esters family may have taken their name from this place name, which dates back to the 14th century.

Another notable bearer of the name was Friedrich Esters, a German philosopher and educator who lived from 1783 to 1858. He was a proponent of the Prussian education system and wrote extensively on the importance of moral and character development in education.

In the 19th century, the name Esters spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Belgium. One prominent Dutch figure with this surname was Johannes Esters, a painter and artist who lived from 1835 to 1918. He was known for his landscape paintings and is considered a significant figure in the Dutch Romantic movement.

While the surname Esters is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of European surnames, with its roots deeply intertwined with the history and culture of Germany and the surrounding regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Esters

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Esters.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Esters was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Esters has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

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

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

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