Hester is both a female

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

and a

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

. As a given name Hester is a variant of

Esther Esther (; ), originally Hadassah (; ), is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. According to the biblical narrative, which is set in the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus falls in love with Esther and ma ...

. As a surname it is of Italian origin and uncertain meaning. In

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, particularly

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

, the surname Hester is found as an Anglicized form of the Gaelic ''Ó hOistir'' descendant of Oistir, who was likely an early 13th century immigrant from

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

Given name

Hester Adrian, Baroness Adrian Dame Hester Agnes Adrian, Baroness Adrian, (' Pinsent; 16 September 1899 – 20 May 1966) was a British mental health worker. Early life Hester Agnes Pinsent was born in 1899, in Harborne, Birmingham, Staffordshire, the only daughter of Hume Ch ...

(1899—1966), British mental health worker *

Hester Bateman Hester Bateman (baptism, bap. 1708 – 16 September 1794) was an English silversmith, renowned for her high quality flatware and ornamental silverware. A craftswoman working within the family business, she was succeeded in turn by her sons, daugh ...

(bap. 1708–1794), English silversmith * Hester A. Benedict (1838-1921), American poet and writer * Hester Biddle (c. 1629–97), English Quaker writer * Hester "Hetty" Burr (c. 1796-1862), American abolitionist *

Hester Chapone Hester Chapone ''née'' Mulso (27 October 1727, in Twywell, Northamptonshire – 25 December 1801, in Monken Hadley, Hadwell, Middlesex), was an English writer of conduct books for women. She became associated with the London Blue Stockings Soc ...

(1727–1801), British author *

Hester A. Davis Hester A. Davis (1930–2014) was an American archaeologist. Arkansas' first State Archaeologist, she was instrumental in creating national public policy and conservancy standards for cultural preservation as well as developing professional and e ...

(1930–2014), American archaeologist * Hester Dowden (1868–1949), Irish spiritualist medium * Hester Dunn (b. 1940), Northern Irish former loyalist activist and writer * Hester Maria Elphinstone, Viscountess Keith (1764-1857), British literary correspondent and intellectual * Hester Goodsell (born 1984), British rower *

Hester Grenville, 1st Countess Temple Hester Grenville, 1st Countess Temple, 2nd Viscountess Cobham (''née'' Temple; bapt. 7 May 1684 – 6 October 1752) was an English noblewoman. She was the mother and grandmother of the Prime Ministers George Grenville and William Grenville ...

(c. 1690–1752), English noblewoman *

Hester Jane Haskins Hester Jane Haskins or Jane the Grabber (fl. 1860–1875) was an American madam, procuress, and underworld figure in New York City during the 1860s and 1870s. The main rival of Red Light Lizzie, she owned and operated several "houses of ill ...

(fl. 1860–75), American madam, procuress, and underworld figure * Hester Kaplan, American author *

Hester Maclean Hester Maclean, (25 February 1859 – 2 September 1932) was an Australian-born nurse, hospital matron, nursing administrator, editor and writer who spent most of her career in New Zealand. She served in the First World War as the founding Matron- ...

(1859–1932), New Zealand nurse, editor and writer * Maria Hester Park (1760–1813), British composer, pianist, and singer *

Hester Pitt, Countess of Chatham Hester Pitt, Countess of Chatham (; 8 November 1720 – 9 April 1803) was the wife of William Pitt the Elder, 1st Earl of Chatham, who was prime minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. The sister of George Grenville, who was prime minist ...

(1720–1803), wife of William Pitt (the Elder), 1st Earl of Chatham, who was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768 *

Lady Hester Pulter Lady Hester Pulter (née Ley) (1605–1678) was a seventeenth-century writer of poetry and prose, whose manuscript was rediscovered in 1996 in the Brotherton Library, University of Leeds. Her work includes poems, which are collected in the manus ...

(1605–1678), British writer *

Catherine Hester Ralfe Catherine Hester Ralfe (1831–1912) was a New Zealand dressmaker, teacher, storekeeper, housekeeper and diarist. She was born in Bantry Bay, County Cork, Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in ...

(c. 1831–1912), New Zealand dressmaker, teacher, storekeeper, housekeeper and diarist *

Hester Dorsey Richardson Hester Dorsey Richardson (, Dorsey; pen name, Selene; January 9, 1862 – December 10, 1933) was an American author of several historical studies of Maryland, as well as a Genealogy, genealogist and clubwoman. Among her publications were ''The Ori ...

(1862-1933), American author *

Hester Santlow Hester Santlow (married name Hester Booth; c. 1690 – 1773) was a British ballerina and actress, who has been called "England's first ballerina". She was influential in many spheres of theatrical life. Life Hester Santlow was born circa 1690. ...

(c. 1690–1773), British dancer and actress *

Lady Hester Stanhope Lady Hester Lucy Stanhope (12 March 1776 – 23 June 1839) was a British adventurer, writer, antiquarian, and one of the most famous travellers of her age. Her excavation of Ascalon in 1815 is considered the first to use modern Archaeology ...

(1776–1839), British socialite, adventurer and traveler *

Hester Thrale Hester Lynch Thrale Piozzi (née Salusbury; 27 January 1741 or 16 January 1740 – 2 May 1821)Contemporary records, which used the Julian calendar and the Annunciation Style of enumerating years, recorded her birth as 16 January 1740. The pro ...

(1741–1821), British diarist, author, and patron of the arts *

Hester van Eeghen Hester van Eeghen (11 November 1958 – 8 April 2021) was a Dutch designer of leather bags, wallets and accessories. Life Hester van Eeghen was born in Amsterdam, the youngest of five children. Her family has been involved in the arts in The Net ...

(1958–2021), Dutch designer *

Hester Veltman-Kamp Hester Veltman-Kamp (born 13 November 1973) is a Dutch politician from the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy who was elected to the Dutch Parliament in the 2023 Dutch general election. She serves as the VVD's spokesperson for roads and pub ...

(born 1973), Dutch politician

Surname

Bart Hester Bart Franklin Hester (born December 9, 1977) is an American politician serving as a member of the Arkansas Senate from the 33rd district and a Republican. A real estate agent and former baseball player, has served since 2013, and was nominated p ...

(b. 1977), American politician * Benny Hester (b. 1948), American music artist and songwriter * Betty Hester (1923-1998), American correspondent * Bianca Hester, Australian artist, winner of the Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture in 2005 and 2011 *

Carolyn Hester Carolyn Sue Hester (born January 28, 1937) is an American folk singer and songwriter. She was a figure in the early 1960s American folk music revival. Biography Hester's first album was produced by Norman Petty in 1957. She made her second a ...

(b. 1937), American folk singer and songwriter *

Dave Hester ''Storage Wars'' (stylized as ''STORAGE WAR$'') is an American reality television competition series that airs on the A&E (TV network), A&E network. It premiered on December 1, 2010. A 16th season is scheduled to premiere on June 7, 2025. W ...

, star of A&E TV's ''Storage Wars'' * Devin Hester (b. 1982), American football player *

Drew Hester Drew Hester (born August 26, 1969) is a drummer, percussionist, and record producer, winning two Grammy Awards with Foo Fighters. He has played with Joe Walsh (1999—2016) on drums, Stevie Nicks (2017–present) on drums, Beck (2014) on drums/pe ...

(b. 1969), American percussionist and record producer * Eric Hester (b. 1974), American composer * Frank Hester (b. 1966), British businessman * Hugh B. Hester (1895-1983), American army officer *

Jack W. Hester Jack William Hester (June 22, 1929 – April 29, 1999) was an American farmer and politician who served as a member of the Iowa Senate from 1979 to 1993. Early life and education Born in Modale, Iowa, Hester graduated from Persia High Scho ...

(1929-1999), American politician * Jacob Hester (b. 1985), American football player * James McNaughton Hester (1924-2014), American educator * Jessie Hester (b. 1963), American football player * Joan Hester (1932–2019), American politician * John Hester (b. 1983), American baseball player *

Joy Hester Joy St Clair Hester (21 August 1920 – 4 December 1960) was an Australian artist. She was a member of the Angry Penguins movement and the Heide Circle who played an integral role in the development of Australian Modernism. Hester is best known ...

(1920-1960), Australian artist *

Laurel Hester Laurel Anne Hester (August 15, 1956 – February 18, 2006) was a police lieutenant with the Ocean County, New Jersey Prosecutor's Office, who came to national attention with her deathbed appeal for the extension of pension benefits to her domestic ...

(1956–2006), American police officer and advocate of rights of domestic partners *

Leigh Ann Hester Leigh Ann Hester (born January 12, 1982) is a United States Army National Guard soldier. While assigned to the 617th Military Police Company, a Kentucky Army National Guard unit out of Richmond, Kentucky, Hester received the Silver Star for he ...

(b. 1982), American soldier and Silver Star recipient * Lex Hester (1935–2000), American public administrator * Marc Hester (b. 1985), Danish professional bicycle racer *

Michael Hester Michael Hester (born 2 May 1972), is a former New Zealand association football referee in the A-League. Holder of a FIFA international licence, he has participated at the highest level, officiating at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Biography Hester ...

(b. 1972), Australian-born New Zealand association football referee *

Paul Hester Paul Newell Hester (8 January 1959 – 26 March 2005) was an Australian musician and television personality. He was the drummer for the band Split Enz for their last year together from December 1983 to December 1984, and co-founding member an ...

(1959–2005), Australian musician * Paul V. Hester (b. 1947), American Air Force officer *

Phil Hester (comics) Phil Hester (born 1966) is an American comic book artist, penciller and writer. Early life Phil Hester is an alumnus of the University of Iowa. Career Hester's pencilling credits include ''Swamp Thing, Brave New World, Flinch, Ultimate Marvel T ...

(b. 1966), comic book artist and writer *

Phillip Doyce Hester Phillip ("Phil") Doyce Hester (April 30, 1955 - September 17, 2013) was an American engineer and technology executive. Life Hester grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, and attended Richard King High School. He held a Bachelor of Science and a mast ...

(1955–2013), former chief technology officer of Advanced Micro Devices * Randolph T. Hester American professor, sociologist, and landscape architect * Ray Hester (1949–1977), American football player *

Rita Hester Rita Hester (22 March 1964 – 28 November 1998) was a transgender African American woman who was murdered in Allston (Boston), Massachusetts, on November 28, 1998. Hester was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1964. She moved to Boston in ...

(d. 1998), transgender African American murder victim * Sandra Hester, American activist and former television host * Stephen Hester (b. 1960),

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

RSA Insurance Group RSA Insurance Group Limited ( trading as RSA, formerly RSA Insurance Group plc and Royal and Sun Alliance) is a British multinational general insurance company headquartered in London, England. RSA has major operations in the United Kingdom, Ire ...

* Treyvon Hester (b. 1992), American football player * Wallace Hester (1866-1942), British

caricaturist A caricaturist is an artist who specializes in drawing caricatures. List of caricaturists * Abed Abdi (born 1942) * Abril Lamarque (1904–1999) * Al Hirschfeld (1903–2003) * Alex Gard (1900–1948) * Alexander Saroukhan (1898–1977) * Alfre ...

for '' Vanity Fair'' * William Hester, also known as Slew Hester (1912-1993), American tennis official

Fictional characters

*Hester Argyle, a character in

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English people, English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving ...

's novel ''

Ordeal by Innocence ''Ordeal by Innocence'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 3 November 1958 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retai ...

'' * Hester Latterly, main character of

Anne Perry Anne Perry (born Juliet Marion Hulme; 28 October 1938 – 10 April 2023) was a British writer and murderer. She was the author of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt and William Monk series of historical detective fiction. In 1994 it became pub ...

's ''Monk'' detective series *

Hester Prynne Hester Prynne is the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1850 novel ''The Scarlet Letter''. She is portrayed as a woman condemned by her Puritan neighbors for having a child out of wedlock. The character has been called "among the first and mos ...

, main character of

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (né Hathorne; July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associat ...

's ''

The Scarlet Letter ''The Scarlet Letter: A Romance'' is a historical novel by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850. Set in the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony during the years 1642 to 1649, the novel tells the story of Hester Prynne, who concei ...

'' * ''

The Character and Death of Mrs. Hester Ann Rogers ''The Character and Death of Mrs. Hester Ann Rogers'' is a Methodist tract from 1794, still in print in 2008. The text is a publication of the sermon given by the Reverend Thomas Coke upon the death of the Methodist writer Hester Rogers, with a ...

'', a 1794 Methodist tract * Hester Shaw, a character from

Philip Reeve Philip Reeve (born 28 February 1966) is an English author and illustrator of children's books, primarily known for the 2001 book '' Mortal Engines'' and its sequels (the 2001 to 2006 '' Mortal Engines Quartet''). His 2007 novel, '' Here Lies Ar ...

's ''

Mortal Engines Quartet The ''Mortal Engines Quartet'' (''Hungry City Chronicles'' in the United States), also known as the ''Predator Cities Quartet'', is a series of epic young adult science fiction novels by the English novelist and illustrator Philip Reeve. He b ...

'' * Hester Ulrich, a character from the 2015 American horror

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

, ''

Scream Queens A scream queen (a wordplay on ''screen queen'') is an actress who is prominent and influential in horror films, either through a notable appearance or recurring roles. Scream king is the equivalent for men. Notable scream queen examples include ...

.'' * Hester Crane, mother of

Frasier Crane Dr. Frasier Winslow Crane (born ) is a fictional character who is both a supporting character on the American television sitcom ''Cheers'' and the titular protagonist of its spin-off '' Frasier'' and the latter's 2023 sequel. In all three s ...

of Cheers and Frasier television shows. * Hester, the daemon companion of Lee Scoresby in

Philip Pullman Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. He is best known for the fantasy trilogy ''His Dark Materials''. The first volume, ''Northern Lights'' (1995), won the Carnegie Medal

His Dark Materials ''His Dark Materials'' is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman consisting of '' Northern Lights'' (1995; published as ''The Golden Compass'' in North America), '' The Subtle Knife'' (1997), and '' The Amber Spyglass'' (2000). It follo ...

series. * Hester Sherwood, one of the four characters from the Australian 2002 play ''Wicked Sisters'' by

Alma De Groen Alma De Groen is an Australians, Australian feminist playwright, born in New Zealand on 5 September 1941. Biography Alma Margaret Mathers, born in Manawatū District, Manawatū, grew up in Mangakino, a small township founded to serve a hydro-elec ...

. * Hester, the daughter of the witch from Hansel and Gretel in School for Good and Evil

Given name

Surname

Fictional characters

See also