Hester is both a female given name and a surname. As a given name Hester is a variant of Esther. As a surname it is of Germanic origin and uncertain meaning, possible roots being the Middle High German heister beech tree indicating residence near a beech tree, or a shared root with the modern German heißen to call indicating the profession of herald or town crier. In Ireland, particularly County Mayo, the surname Hester is found as an Anglicized form of the Gaelic Ó hOistir descendant of Oistir.
Given name:
Hester Adrian, Baroness Adrian (1899—1966), British mental-health worker
Hester Bateman (bap. 1708–1794), English silversmith
Hester Chapone (1727–1801), British author
Hester Dowden (1868–1949), Irish spiritualist medium
Hester Dunn (b. 1944), Northern Irish former loyalist activist and writer
Hester Maria Elphinstone, Viscountess Keith (1764-1857), British literary correspondent and intellectual
Hester Grenville, 1st Countess Temple (c. 1690–1752), English noblewoman
Hester Jane Haskins, American madam, procuress, and underworld figure
Hester Kaplan, American author
Hester Maclean (1859–1932), New Zealand nurse, editor and writer
Maria Hester Park (1760–1813), British composer, pianist, and singer
Hester Pitt, Countess of Chatham (1720-1803), wife of William Pitt (the Elder), 1st Earl of Chatham, who was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768
Lady Hester Pulter (b. 1605), British writer
Catherine Hester Ralfe (ca. 1831–1912), New Zealand dressmaker, teacher, storekeeper, housekeeper and diarist
Hester Santlow (c.1690–1773), British dancer and actress
Lady Hester Stanhope (1776–1839), British socialite, adventurer and traveler
Hester Thrale (1741–1821), British diarist, author, and patron of the arts
Hester van Eeghen (b. 1958), Dutch designer
Hester Wagstaff (b. 1892), British jewellery designer, potter and illustrator
Surname:
Bart Hester (b. 1977) American politician
Belinda Hester, American Professor of History
Benny Hester, American music artist and songwriter
Betty Hester (1923-1998), American correspondent
Carolyn Hester (b. 1937), American folk singer and songwriter
Dave Hester, star of A&E TV's Storage Wars
Devin Hester (b. 1982), American football player
Drew Hester (b. 1969), American percussionist and record producer
Eric Hester (b. 1974), American composer
Hugh B. Hester (1895-1983), American army officer
Jack W. Hester (1929-1999), American politician
Jacob Hester (b. 1985), American football player
James McNaughton Hester (b. 1924), American educator
Jessie Hester (b. 1963), American football player
Joan Hester (b. 1932), American politician
John Hester (b. 1983), American baseball player
Joy Hester (1920-1960), Australian artist
Laurel Hester (1956–2006), American police officer and advocate of rights of domestic partners
Leigh Ann Hester (b. 1982), American soldier and Silver Star recipient
Lex Hester (1935–2000), American public administrator
Marc Hester (b. 1985), Danish professional bicycle racer
Michael Hester (b. 1972), Australian-born New Zealand association football referee
Paul Hester (1959-2005), Australian musician
Paul V. Hester (b. 1947), American Air Force officer
Phil Hester (comics) (b. 1966), comic book artist and writer
Phillip Doyce Hester (b. 1955), former chief technology officer of Advanced Micro Devices
Randolph T. Hester American professor, sociologist, and landscape architect
Rita Hester (d. 1998), transgender African American murder victim
Sandra Hester, American activist and former television host
Stephen Hester (b. 1960), CEO of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group
Stephen Hester (professor), American sociologist and writer
Wallace Hester (1866-1942), British caricaturist for Vanity Fair
Fictional characters:
Hester Latterly, main character of Anne Perry's Monk detective series
Hester Prynne, main character of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
The Character and Death of Mrs. Hester Ann Rogers, a 1794 Methodist tract
Hester Shaw, a character from Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines Quartet
Hester Ulrich, a character from the 2015 American horror comedy television series, Scream Queens.
Hester Crane, mother of Frasier Crane of Cheers and Frasier television shows.
See also:
All pages with titles containing Hester