THE MEANING & THE CONTEXT
The story behind Lester
Lester is recorded as a male given name in Tagalog and Cebuano. The source gives a linguistic connection through English, specifically the form Lester.
The etymology is not settled. The explanation above keeps the source’s uncertainty rather than assigning a definite meaning.
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.
Tagalog
- /ˈlesteɾ/Standard-Tagalog
- [ˈlɛs.t̪ɛɾ]Standard-Tagalog
Les · ter2 source divisions
Dictionary reading & contributors ↗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.
TagalogEtymology & source
Borrowed from English Lester.
a male given name from English
Wiktionary: Lester (Tagalog) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
CebuanoEtymology & source
Borrowed from English Lester.
a male given name from English
Wiktionary: Lester (Cebuano) ↗ · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
EnglishEtymology & source
As an English surname, from the placename Leicester. Also as an English surname of Norman origin, from Lestre in Normandy, from Old French Lestra, from Medieval Latin Laxtra, perhaps from extera (“exterior (part of a property)”). As an English and Scottish surname, variant of Lister. Also as an English surname, variant of Laster. As a Scottish and Irish surname, shortened from McLester.
A male given name transferred from the surname, of 19th century and later usage.
Wiktionary: Lester (English) ↗ · 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 Lester
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
Lester Alvarez
Filipino basketball player
DOCUMENTED NAMESAKE
Lester Llansang
Philippine actor
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
2
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
2
distinct person records with an explicit given-name claim
Community-edited coverage, not a census or birth registry. Examples: Lester Alvarez, Lester Llansang
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Lester in the birth records
Exact spelling, stated year, published top-ten tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Available publications: 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. No 2021 count is inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Lester
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♂♀Name formation documented in dictionary sources
- Hester·Name formation documented in dictionary sources
- Chester♂Name formation documented in dictionary sources
- Dexter♂Name formation documented in dictionary sources
- Lesmes·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- Lesty♀Short form of Lester
- Peter♂Name formation documented in dictionary sources
- Webster·Recorded Philippine given-name form
What rhymes with Lester?
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)/
- EstherEnglish · /-ɛstə(ɹ)/
- HesterEnglish · /-ɛstə(ɹ)/
- SylvesterEnglish · /-ɛstə(ɹ)/
Names with a similar written ending
Spelling suggestions; these are not verified phonetic rhymes.
Recorded combinations with Lester
1 source-reported compound forms include this name as a component. Each part keeps its own history.
Names in this collection
Explore combinations →Explore Lester 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.
- Wikidata given-name item Q16461990 — Lester (opens in a new tab)
Given-name identity, native labels, language associations and explicit class where present; not lexical meaning or population frequency.
- Wikidata — Lester Alvarez (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q16461990 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wikidata — Lester Llansang (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name claim P735 linking to Q16461990 and citizenship claim P27 linking to Philippines Q928; community-edited evidence, not a civil-registry record.
- Wiktionary contributors — Lester (Tagalog) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Lester (Cebuano) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Lester (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.