Unisex name
Ester
365 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 2022. Expression number: 22.
Origin
The name is of uncertain origin; it is related either to Old Persian *star(eh) "star" or to the name of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar.Translated by Arcanes from the German Wiktionary, entry “Ester”, text and translation under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 2022: 24 births. 365 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. It really came into use around 2013. It is still given: 89 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 1925: 307 births. 17,156 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given steadily, decade after decade, from the 1910s to the 2020s. It is given to girls (95%) as well as boys (5%). It really came into use around 1888. It is still given: 718 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 3,001 | 2012–2023 | — |
| Switzerland | 818* | 1915–2025 | — |
| France | 565 | 1900–2025 | — |
* These are the people living in the country, counted by year of birth, not the number of births.
Source: RENAPER, Nombres propios en Argentina, CC BY 4.0 (the registry doesn't record sex); Federal Statistical Office, First names of the population by year of birth, free use with attribution; INSEE, Fichier des prénoms, Etalab Open Licence 2.0.
The numbers of the name
Each letter has a value: A = 1, B = 2… I = 9, then J = 1 again (Pythagorean method). We add them up, then reduce to a single digit, except 11, 22 and 33.
■ vowel · ■ consonant
Expression
All the letters: talents, the way you act.
22
the large-scale builder (master number)
5 + 1 + 2 + 5 + 9 = 22
Soul
The vowels: what drives you deep down.
1
initiative, independence, beginnings
5 + 5 = 10 → 1
Personality
The consonants: what others notice first.
3
expression, creativity, sociability
1 + 2 + 9 = 12 → 3
- Digits missing from the name
- 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
- Most frequent digit
- 5 · freedom, change, movement
The meaning of the numbers comes from numerological tradition; it isn't a measure of your personality. A full portrait needs your first and middle names, your last name at birth, and your date of birth. How we calculate
Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.