Comments for the name Esther

Derived from the Hebrew word for 'secret'.

The Old Testament tells us that Esther's original (Jewish) name was Hadasah. It was changed to Esther in order to fool the Persian king Antiochus (so he wouldnt know she's Jewish). That is how we know Esther is an authentic Persian-originated name. This can also provide a phonetic link between Esther and the Hebrew verb "LeHastir" (to hide) which was mentioned in the previous comment.

The Persian king from the Esther story was called Achashverosh, not Antiochus. Antiochus Epiphanes is the Greek king who was defeated by the Maccabees.

I like this name. It's a biblical name and I like this girl named Esther.

Setare means star in Persian, Esther does not.

Esther Phillips - great soul singer.

Actress Esther Williams was a famous bearer.

The main character in Silvia Plath's only book, "The Bell Jar", was named Esther.

Esther is a Biblical name. Esther married Kind Xerxues. I LOVE THIS NAME!

Actually, Esther married King Xerxes (or Ahasuerus in the Hebrew).

My name is Esther, I really like my name. But it is popular, I know almost 10 people named Esther. Especially, they have Christian parents or they are Christians. I can't understand why they choose this name, maybe they want to be a queen?

It's funny that you should say that, about most of the Esthers you know being Christians. My grandmother's name was Esther, and we're Jewish. Interesting.

Like I said, this was my grandmother's name, so I will only think of her when I hear this name. I really like the nickname "Estee". :3

Well my name is Esther (in the French way (but I'm not French, well I am a French speaker but I'm Canadian)). It's a nice name I think, I have only met two others in my life with the same name as me (they were both well past 60 and for me it was a shock for I felt that my name wasn't really old, I was 6 and 12 when I met them). What I like about it is two things: first my father gave it to me (I know that's really not something really useful for you but it is important for me) and second because it's biblical (not that I care for religion so much whatsoever). It exists in almost every country in the globe(even if not so popular) so it's pretty rare that someone does not know how to pronounce it. Of course they all have their own way. Like in Denmark (where I live right now) they say it like Est-tha. I like it that way it's really nice I think.

Ooh this is my middle name and I'm ok with it but it doesn't really go with my 1st name. I mean, Laura ESTHER? COME ON!

Pronounced eh-stehr, eh-stair.

The biblical Esther's original name was Hadassah, which means myrtle; does that mean Esther could also mean myrtle?

Esther Forbes, author of such books as "Paul Revere and the World He Lived In" and "Johnny Tremain", bears this name.

Madonna took Esther as her Kabbalah name.

Esther Smith is the name of Judy Garland's character in the movie Meet Me In St. Louis.

Esther Summerson is a character in Charles Dicken's novel "Bleak House."

Esther Turveydrop is Caddy's deaf daughter in "Bleak House" by Charles Dickens.

I LOVE IT! I want my second daughter to be Esther Martha or Esther Linda, and I will call her Essie!

I have a daughter called Esther and we often shorten it to Ettie. My husband and I are Christians and we feel it is a good strong name. Our little girl certainly lives up to her name - she's very willful like her Biblical namesake!

The Book of Esther in the Torah tells the story of her saving all the Jews from being killed and were able to fight back against those who tried to kill them, not that she saved some from persecution. [noted -ed]

Ishtar is an Assyrian/Babylonian goddess, not Persian. [noted -ed]

'Esther' is a dramatic play in three acts, written by French playwright Jean Racine. It premiered on January 26, 1689. It remains one of Racine's lesser-known works.

I don't like any names that end in -ther. I don't like the sound of that ending. Besides, the name is quite old-fashioned.

I LOVE this name, but I always think of crazy Aunt Esther from Sanford and Son! lol!

I love how elegant and old-fashioned this name is. For some reason, it makes me think of lace. It sounds so soft and gentle. I think it would be lovely to be named after the Biblical character Esther.

Esther Ofarim is a famous and beautiful Israeli singer. She first rose to prominence in the 1960s, singing with her then husband, as Esther and Abu Ofarim. Their songs included the hit "Cinderella Rockefella".

The "Encyclopaedia Judaica" has this to say about the Biblical Esther: "Her real name was Hadassah, but she was called Esther by non-Jews, this being the Persian name for Venus." That was because she was so beautiful, which is what recommended her to the king in the first place, following his disillusionment with his first wife, Vashti. The Venus referred to is obviously Ishtar.

Actor Ewan McGregor has a daughter named Esther Rose.

I'm called Esther, and apart from being called Easter or people writing it Ester or Esta, I've generally found it a good name. There aren't many Esthers around so I've always enjoyed being the only Esther in school and stuff.

Downsides are that it isn't shortened very well, I'm not that fond of Est and Essy, and at the minute some people consider it a name their grandparents might have, not something youthful. Although I do know a few people who've recently called their babies it. It's more popular with Christians.

The name means something like: "me, the one that is hidden". It´s referring to God as his name doesn´t appear at all in the book ´Esther` in the Bible.

Esther was the name of Fred Sanford's mother-in-law on 'Sanford and Son'.

The name Esther in the Book of Esther in the Old Testament means hidden. Her other name, Hadassah means olive tree, because her skin was green like an olive.

Esther is the name of a central character in the 2009 horror film "Orphan". The film's tagline is "There's something wrong with Esther."

Esther is derived from the Persian (Farsi) word "setareh", which means both "star" and "fate". Serareh is a fairly popular as a woman's name in Iran. A notable bearer is Iranian actress Setareh Eskandari (born 1974).

I have an appreciation to the biblical character Esther and really like the name. I agree with black_lace. The name does sound soft and "airy". Like a breeze or a whisper.

I think Esther is a good name for a cat.

I love this! It's traditional, elegant, and royal-sounding, which it should be since the Esther in the Bible was a queen! This name is great. :P

My name is Esther, and I love it. Esther has several meanings: star, morning star (sun), and hidden. The most famous Esther is Queen Esther, born Hadassah, the heroine who helped save the Jews. Esther is noted as being the most beautiful woman in the land. Esther is also named in the Gemara as one of the four most beautiful women of all time. Esther is Persian, Hebrew, Jewish, and Biblical. My personal favorite Esther (other than the heroine) is Esther Williams, famous swimming beauty, movie actress, and singer. As mentioned above, there was a horror movie called Orphan with the tagline "There's something wrong with Esther." However, I don't want to spoil the movie, but I will say that Esther was not the character's real name: She actually took it on in order to appear innocent. Esther is a wonderful name to have and to live up to.

Definitely a grandma's name. However, it's not that bad. I wouldn't choose it.

Popularity in Hungary 2008 the 8th most popular baby name.

Estelita Rodriguez is a famous bearer. Estelita Rodriguez was a Cuban-born actress who became popular in a number of Western movies, including a number of movies which starred Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

Estelita means "little star" in Spanish.

A variation of the same name is Estrellita, which also means "little star."

I believe that both names are very pretty variations of the name Esther.

Beautiful, unique girls name.

This is my name. My dad liked the name Esther. Since I was born and raised in California (large Hispanic population), my name was frequently misspelled as "Ester".

Esther Lofgren (born 1985 in Long Beach, California) is an American rower and Olympic gold medalist.

Esther is a really pretty name! The h makes it look kind of weird, but Ester doesn't look right. A couple years ago I met a baby named Esther, and I remember thinking how ugly it was. But a lot of names have grown on me since then, this being one of them!