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

Esther, 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 Esther surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Esther in America

Esther is the 40672nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Esther surname appeared 537 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Esther.

We can also compare 2010 data for Esther 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 Esther

The surname Esther is believed to have originated from the Hebrew name Ester, which means "star" or "morning star". It is a name with biblical roots, derived from the Old Persian word "star".

The earliest known usage of the name Esther can be traced back to the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible, where it was the name of a Jewish queen in the Persian empire during the 5th century BCE. The biblical Book of Esther recounts the story of Queen Esther, who saved the Jewish people from a plot to annihilate them.

In medieval Europe, the surname Esther was primarily associated with Jewish communities, as it was a common practice for Jews to adopt surnames derived from biblical names or occupations. However, over time, the surname spread beyond the Jewish community and was adopted by non-Jewish families as well.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Esther can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Estre" and "Estere".

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Esther. One such person was Abraham Esther (1599-1655), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his portraits and genre scenes. Another was Mordecai Esther (1690-1773), a renowned Jewish writer and philosopher from Poland.

In the 19th century, Esther Tuttle Esther (1819-1904) was a prominent American educator and reformer who founded the Rhode Island Normal School, one of the first teacher training institutions in the United States. Another notable figure was Eliza Esther (1836-1897), a British activist and writer who campaigned for women's rights and social reform.

Towards the latter part of the 19th century, the surname Esther gained popularity in France, where it was associated with various place names such as Estherwood and Estherfield. This suggests that the name may have evolved from a locational surname, referring to people who lived in or near these places.

While the surname Esther has its roots in ancient Hebrew and biblical traditions, it has since become a widespread name found in various cultures and communities around the world, reflecting the diverse and fascinating history of surnames and their evolution over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Esther

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

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 Esther 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 Esther 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 Esther was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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