MEANING & HISTORY
What does Esther mean?
Esther is recorded in Hebrew and transmitted through Greek and Latin. The familiar star explanation connects it with Iranian vocabulary; another major proposal relates it to Ishtar.
The biblical queen is the firm historical association. The exact ultimate origin remains debated, so star is a qualified interpretation rather than the only established root.
References for this explanation
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
EnglishEtymology & source
From Ancient Greek Ἐσθήρ (Esthḗr), from Biblical Hebrew אֶסְתֵּר (ʾestēr). Has been connected to Old Persian 𐎠𐎿𐎫𐎼 (a-s-t-r /star-/, “star”) (whence Middle Persian 𐭮𐭲𐭫 (stl /star/, “star”), 𐭮𐭲𐭠𐭫𐭪 (stʾlk /stārag/, “star”), Persian ستاره (sitāra /setâre, “star”)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr (if so, a distant doublet of star); or else to Akkadian 𒀭𒈹 (Ištar, “Ishtar”) (Hebrew עִשְׁתָּר (ʿištār)).
A female given name from Persian.
Wiktionary: Esther (English) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
SpanishEtymology & source
a female given name, equivalent to English Esther
Wiktionary: Esther (Spanish) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
People with the name Esther
Public figures and other documented namesakes linked by an explicit given-name claim. This is a selection of records, not a popularity ranking.
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Mocha Uson
Philippine singer, dancer, model, blogger, and former appointive public official
The record establishes the name association, not the person’s intended meaning, pronunciation or ancestry. Descriptions are attributed to Wikidata contributors (CC0).
Use in Philippine-linked records
Public-record transcription
4
eligible source records · 2001
This spelling is reported in an openly licensed transcription of elected-candidate records. This is a record count, not a birth count or national popularity measure.
OpenHalalan / COMELEC ↗Wikidata
1
distinct person records with an explicit given-name claim
Community-edited coverage, not a census or birth registry. Examples: Mocha Uson
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Esther in the birth records
Exact spelling and stated year in the published name tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Tables included: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2016 fact sheet lists five names per sex; the later tables include ten. Missing counts are not inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Esther
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Ester♂♀Form of the biblical name Esther
- Asher·Happy or blessed
- Heather♀English name of flowering heath shrubs
- Luther·Surname from Leuthar; people and army
- Esmar♀Blend involving Esmeralda and a Mar-name
- Estela·Star; Spanish and Portuguese form of Estelle
- Estong♂Familiar Ernesto; earnest root
- Esteban♂Crown or wreath
What rhymes with Esther?
Matches share a dictionary-supplied rhyme key in the stated language. Check the recorded reading; another language or accent can change the rhyme.
- ChesterEnglish · /-ɛstə(ɹ)/
- HesterEnglish · /-ɛstə(ɹ)/
- LesterEnglish · /-ɛstə(ɹ)/
- SylvesterEnglish · /-ɛstə(ɹ)/
- AbnerSpanish · /-eɾ/
- EsterSpanish · /-eɾ/
- JavierSpanish · /-eɾ/
- XavierSpanish · /-eɾ/
Names with a similar written ending
Spelling suggestions; these are not verified phonetic rhymes.
Explore Esther further
Follow the sources
- OpenHalalan — pinned 2001 COMELEC transcription (opens in a new tab)
Source-reported given-name form in a row with a separate explicit middle initial; ODbL-1.0.
- COMELEC — 2001 List of Elected Candidates (opens in a new tab)
Original document identified by the transcription; selected PDF entries were spot-checked, not every imported row.
- COMELEC — 2001 List of Elected Candidates (opens in a new tab)
Original document identified by the transcription; selected PDF entries were spot-checked, not every imported row.
- Wikidata given-name item Q837839 — Esther (opens in a new tab)
Given-name identity, native labels, language associations and explicit class where present; not lexical meaning or population frequency.
- Wikidata — Mocha Uson (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q837839 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wiktionary contributors — Esther (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Wiktionary contributors — Esther (Spanish) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.
- Wiktionary: Esther (opens in a new tab)
Personal-name formation and etymological relationships; imported dictionary account consulted.