Lester means from Leicester or Roman camp — from the Old English. American Beauty's Lester Burnham IS cinema's most iconic midlife crisis. Lester Young IS jazz's most influential tenor saxophonist — the President. Two syllables of cinema's-most-iconic-midlife-crisis, jazz's-most-influential, and the President of jazz.
American Beauty's Lester IS cinema's most iconic midlife.
Lester Young IS jazz's President.
Two syllables with a refined, English sound: LES-ter.
The meaning Roman camp IS historically grounded.
The most dramatically dual-legacy name.
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The vibe of Lester
from LeicesterRoman campOld EnglishAmerican BeautyLester BurnhammidlifeYoungjazzPresident
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Origin & history of Lester
Old English Ligora + ceaster (Roman camp)→Lester
1
English roots
Lester means from Leicester. American Beauty's Burnham IS cinema's most iconic. Young IS jazz's President.
2
First recorded
Earliest known use: Old English; American Beauty (1999); Young (1909–1959).
3
Today
Lester remains a beloved choice, ranking #1662 in the US. 131,938 babies have been named Lester since 1880.
◈ Sources: Behind the Name, SSA data
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How popular is Lester?
1918peak year
Today, Lester is rarely chosen — ranked well outside the top 1,000 (around #1662), with only about 99 babies given the name per year. But it wasn't always this way. At its peak in 1918, 3,229 babies were given the name (ranked #62 nationally). Its strongest stretch was the 1920s. Lester's usage has held roughly steady recently. In all, around 131,938 babies have been registered as Lester since 1880.
Year-by-year registrations1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
Lester's Life Path 7 is the seeker's number — midlife seeking. People named Lester tend to be refined, influential, and gifted at being cinema's most iconic AND jazz's President.
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