Esther is a name of Hebrew origin that means "star." In the Bible, Esther was a Jewish woman who became the queen of King Ahasuerus and saved her people from destruction during the reign of King Xerxes I of Persia around 486-465 BCE. The story of Esther is told in the Book of Esther in the Old Testament.
The name Esther has been used for centuries, with its popularity varying over time and across different cultures. It was a popular name among Jews during biblical times and continued to be used throughout the Middle Ages. In the 19th century, Esther became more widely used as a given name in Europe and North America due to the influence of Protestantism.
In English-speaking countries, Esther has traditionally been associated with literary and historical figures. For example, George Eliot's novel "Daniel Deronda" features a character named Esther, and Queen Esther is celebrated annually during the Jewish holiday of Purim. However, it is important to note that these associations are not universally applicable across all cultures and languages.
Today, Esther remains a popular name for girls in many countries around the world. It has consistently ranked among the top 1000 most popular names in the United States since the 1960s, with its popularity ebbing and flowing over time. In recent years, it has seen a resurgence in popularity, ranking #572 in 2019 according to the Social Security Administration's data on baby names.
Overall, Esther is a name with deep historical roots that spans across cultures and languages. Its biblical origins give it a rich spiritual significance, while its meaning as "star" lends it a celestial connotation. Despite its centuries-long history, Esther remains a timeless and beloved name for girls today.
Based on the statistics provided, we can observe several trends regarding the name Esther in the United States from 1890 to 2020.
Over this period of 130 years, a total of 967 babies were named Esther at birth. The popularity of the name varied significantly over time, with peaks and troughs occurring throughout the decades.
The earliest data point we have is from 1890, with only 6 births recorded for the name Esther that year. This number remained relatively low until the early 20th century when it began to increase gradually. The years 1915 and 1916 saw a significant jump in popularity, with 26 and 17 births respectively, suggesting that Esther was quite trendy during this time.
The name's popularity seemed to fluctuate throughout the early to mid-20th century, with some years seeing more than 20 babies named Esther (such as 1928, 1930, and 1933) while others saw fewer than 10. Interestingly, there was a gap in data from 1948 to 1973, so we cannot determine the name's popularity during this time frame.
After 1979, Esther's popularity began to decline consistently until the late 20th century. From 1987 onwards, the number of births for the name Esther remained between 5 and 11 per year, with occasional peaks in the mid-1980s and early 1990s.
The most recent data point available is from 2020, with only 5 babies named Esther at birth. This indicates that Esther has become quite uncommon as a given name in recent years. Despite this decline in popularity, it's still fascinating to examine the historical trends surrounding the name Esther over the past century and a half.