Esther, of Hebrew origin, signifies 'star'. It was popularized by the Book of Esther in the Old Testament, where it is carried by the queen who risked her life to save her people from annihilation. The name gained further prominence during the Middle Ages through the popularity of the apocryphal novel 'Esther and Ahasuerus'.
The name Esther has had a variable popularity over the years, with birth figures ranging from a low of 5 to a high of 29 in any given year between 1890 and 2020. The name's peak popularity seems to have occurred around the late 1920s to early 1930s, with a significant number of births occurring during those decades. However, there were also several years with fewer than 10 births, indicating that Esther was not always a widely chosen name. Overall, the total number of births recorded for the name Esther between 1890 and 2020 is 967.