Behind the Name: Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Esther

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ESTHER

GENDER: Feminine

USAGE: English, French, Spanish, Dutch, Jewish, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek

OTHER SCRIPTS: אֶסְתֵר (Hebrew), Εσθηρ (Ancient Greek)

PRONOUNCED: ES-tər (English, Dutch), es-TER (French) [key]

Meaning & History

Possibly means "star" in Persian. Alternatively it could be a derivative of the name of the Near Eastern goddess ISHTAR. The Book of Esther in the Old Testament tells the story of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of the king of Persia who saved the Jews of the realm from extermination. Her original Hebrew name was Hadassah.

This name has been used in the English-speaking world since the Protestant Reformation. In America it received a boost in popularity after the birth of Esther Cleveland (1893-1980), the daughter of president Grover Cleveland.

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VARIANTS: Ester (Spanish), Hester (Biblical Latin)

DIMINUTIVES: Essie, Esta (English), Estee (Jewish)

OTHER LANGUAGES: 'Ester, 'Ashtoret (Biblical Hebrew), Ester (Czech), Ester (Danish), Ester, Esteri (Finnish), Eszter, Eszti (Hungarian), Estera (Lithuanian), 'Ashtoret, Ashtoreth, Astarte, Ishtar (Near Eastern Mythology), Ester (Norwegian), Estera (Polish), Ester (Portuguese), Esfir, Yesfir (Russian), Estera (Slovak), Ester (Swedish)

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