How popular is the baby name Esther in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Esther.

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Popularity of the baby name Esther


Posts that mention the name Esther

Popular and unique baby names in Sweden, 2023

Flag of Sweden
Flag of Sweden

Sweden tricked us, you guys.

Last year, Statistics Sweden ominously announced that it would “stop producing name statistics.”

It neglected to mention that the country’s baby name data would continue coming out every year — that the names were simply going to be handled by a different government agency (the Swedish Tax Agency) going forward.

I wanted to be annoyed about this deception, but my annoyance evaporated after I learned that the Swedish Tax Agency had released all of the country’s 2023 baby name data — meaning that we could finally check out Sweden’s rare and unique names (yay!).

So, without further ado, let’s take a look…

Sweden welcomed 100,051 babies in 2023. What were the most popular names among these babies? Vera and Noah.

Here are Sweden’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Vera, 608 baby girls
  2. Elsa, 603
  3. Alma, 597
  4. Selma, 538
  5. Alice, 512
  6. Signe, 494
  7. Ellie, 490
  8. Olivia, 488
  9. Astrid, 470
  10. Ella, 467
  11. Stella, 447
  12. Maja, 442
  13. Freja, 434
  14. Saga, 426
  15. Alva, 415
  16. Agnes, 392
  17. Ebba, 381
  18. Leah, 375
  19. Alba, 365
  20. Hedda, 362
  21. Iris, 344
  22. Wilma, 341
  23. Ines, 339
  24. Alicia, 335
  25. Mila, 332
  26. Luna, 304
  27. Lilly, 292
  28. Sigrid, 288
  29. Elvira, 286
  30. Leia, 280
  31. Juni, 274
  32. Julia, 258
  33. Hilma, 256
  34. Clara, 253
  35. Majken, 242 (tie)
  36. Molly, 242 (tie)
  37. Ellen, 241
  38. Ester, 238 (tie)
  39. Lykke, 238 (tie)
  40. Lily, 236
  41. Nora, 232
  42. Ingrid, 226
  43. Nova, 223
  44. Edith, 205
  45. Livia, 204
  46. Sally, 203
  47. Lea, 198
  48. Tyra, 194
  49. Liv, 193
  50. Esther, 192

Boy names

  1. Noah, 687 baby boys
  2. Hugo, 652
  3. William, 565
  4. Liam, 558
  5. Nils, 536
  6. Oliver, 517
  7. Elias, 516
  8. Adam, 507
  9. August, 506
  10. Sam, 504
  11. Alfred, 485
  12. Otto, 479
  13. Leo, 463
  14. Leon, 415
  15. Frans, 414
  16. Charlie, 388
  17. Olle, 372
  18. Theo, 366
  19. Harry, 362
  20. Arvid, 351
  21. Ludvig, 350
  22. Malte, 345
  23. Ebbe, 338 (tie)
  24. Lucas, 338 (tie)
  25. Tage, 330
  26. Elliot, 327
  27. Henry, 326
  28. Adrian, 322
  29. Gabriel, 319
  30. Elton, 318
  31. Ted, 317
  32. Walter, 314
  33. Vincent, 296
  34. Alexander, 294 (tie)
  35. Oscar, 294 (tie)
  36. Valter, 293
  37. Benjamin, 282
  38. Noel, 274 (tie)
  39. Theodor, 274 (tie)
  40. Jack, 268 (tie)
  41. Viggo, 268 (tie)
  42. Axel, 264
  43. Albin, 256
  44. Melker, 251
  45. Levi, 240
  46. Isak, 236
  47. Dante, 233
  48. Lukas, 230
  49. Matteo, 226
  50. Hjalmar, 225

The top names of 2022, Astrid and William, dropped to ninth place and third place, respectively.

The boys’ top 100 included Ture (53rd), Vidar (55th), Loke (71st), and Bill (97th).

The girls’ top 100 included Tuva (66th), Stina (75th), Lo (78th), and Eira (81st).

Farther down on the girls’ list I spotted Madicken, which was given to 15 babies last year. Swedish author Astrid Lindgren featured a fictional 7-year-old girl named Margareta “Madicken” Engström in several of her children’s books. (Lindgren had named the character after a childhood friend, Anne-Marie, whose nickname was Madicken.)

And what about the names at the other end of the spectrum? Here’s a sampling of the more than 8,000 names that were bestowed just once in Sweden last year:

Unique girl namesUnique boy names
Älva, Bergþóra, Cyrine, Dahlina, Elfie, Frigga, Glittra, Holland, Iseline, Jinjin, Källa, Lavendel, Minélle, Neoliva, Ornina, Pommelinn, Qellie, Rauline, Sigunn, Thaïs, Undin, Virvla, Winta, Xanne, Yrja, ZtellaAsterix, Bornwell, Casbian, Delton, Ejnar, Frenne, Grimm, Hälge, Ingemund, Jingda, Kasjan, Lillebror, Mjalton, Nille, Öivind, Palomino, Qingfeng, Robiel, Skjómi, Toste, Uzeer, Villie, Williott, Xanto, Yosia, Zillas

Some definitions/associations for a few of the above:

  • Glittra means “to glitter” in Swedish.
  • Källa means “source” in Swedish. (Originally it referred to a source of water, such as a spring or a well.)
  • Lavendel means “lavender” in Swedish (and several other languages).
  • Lillebror means “little brother” in Swedish.
  • Mjalton refers to Mjältön, an island in Sweden.
  • Skjómi, an Old Norse word meaning “a flickering light,” was used metaphorically in Skaldic poetry to refer to a drawn sword.
  • Virvla means “to whirl” in Swedish. (The related noun virvel means “vortex.”)

Sources: Elsa och Noah populäraste namnen hos nyfödda – Skatteverket, Namn på nyfödda – Skatteverket, Population statistics – Statistics Sweden, Madicken (Mardie) – Astrid Lindgren, Wiktionary, skjómi – Lexicon Poeticum, skjómi – Old Norse Dictionary

Image: Adapted from Flag of Sweden (public domain)

Girl names that end with an R-sound

Girl names that end with an R-sound

In the U.S., most of the names given to baby girls end with a vowel sound. And many of the remaining names end with an N-sound.

So, what about girl names that end with other sounds?

Below is a selection of girl names that end with an R-sound, regardless of last letter. The names are ordered by current popularity.

Harper
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who played the harp. Here’s the popularity graph for Harper.

Eleanor
From the Occitan name Alienor, which may mean “the other Aenor.” Here’s the popularity graph for Eleanor.

Claire
A French form of the name Clara. Here’s the popularity graph for Claire.

Skylar
Based on the Dutch surname Schuyler, meaning “scholar.” Here’s the popularity graph for Skylar.

Piper
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who played the pipe (a type of wind instrument). Here’s the popularity graph for Piper.

Juniper
From the type of tree. Here’s the popularity graph for Juniper.

Parker
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person employed as the keeper of a hunting park. Here’s the popularity graph for Parker.

Esther
A name from the Hebrew Bible that may be based on the Persian word for “star.” Here’s the popularity graph for Esther.

River
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for River.

Summer
From the season. Here’s the popularity graph for Summer.

Ember
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Ember.

Saylor
Based on the English word sailor — though it also happens to be an English surname meaning “dancer.” Here’s the popularity graph for Saylor.

Taylor
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who worked as a tailor. Here’s the popularity graph for Taylor.

Sawyer
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who sawed wood. Here’s the popularity graph for Sawyer.

Blair
From the Scottish surname, which is derived from the place name Blair, meaning “field” (often “battlefield”). Here’s the popularity graph for Blair.

Palmer
From the English surname, which originally referred to a pilgrim. Here’s the popularity graph for Palmer.

Winter
From the season. Here’s the popularity graph for Winter.

Jennifer
A Cornish form of the name Guinevere. Here’s the popularity graph for Jennifer.

Briar
From the English vocabulary word that refers to a thorny plant. Here’s the popularity graph for Briar.

Amber
From the type of gemstone (which is actually fossilized tree resin). Here’s the popularity graph for Amber.

Carter
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who transported goods. Here’s the popularity graph for Carter.

Dior
From the French fashion house Dior, named for founder Christian Dior. Here’s the popularity graph for Dior.

Clover
From the type of small plant. Here’s the popularity graph for Clover.

Treasure
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Treasure.

Noor
An Arabic word meaning “light.” Here’s the popularity graph for Noor.

Kimber
A nickname for Kimberly. Here’s the popularity graph for Kimber.

Hunter
From the English and Scottish surname, which originally referred to a huntsman. Here’s the popularity graph for Hunter.

Baylor
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who delivered goods. Here’s the popularity graph for Baylor.

Denver
From the English surname, which is derived from the place name Denver, meaning “Dane’s ford.” Here’s the popularity graph for Denver.

Sapphire
From the type of gemstone (which is typically blue). Here’s the popularity graph for Sapphire.

Guinevere
Based on the Welsh name Gwenhwyfar, which may mean “white phantom.” Here’s the popularity graph for Guinevere.

Chandler
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who made or sold candles. Here’s the popularity graph for Chandler.

Spencer
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who “dispensed provisions or money.” Here’s the popularity graph for Spencer.

Miller
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who owned or operated a mill. Here’s the popularity graph for Miller.

Ryder
From the English and Irish surname, which originally referred to a horseman (though it also has several other possible derivations). Here’s the popularity graph for Ryder.

Lavender
From the type of plant that produces fragrant flowers. Here’s the popularity graph for Lavender.

Heather
From the type of flowering plant. Here’s the popularity graph for Heather.

Pepper
From the type of spice. Here’s the popularity graph for Pepper.

Jupiter
From the planet (or the Roman god). Here’s the popularity graph for Jupiter.

Adore
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Adore.

Ever
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Ever.

Amor
A Spanish and Portuguese word meaning “love.” Here’s the popularity graph for Amor.

Honor
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Honor.

Flor
A Spanish and Portuguese word meaning “flower.” Here’s the popularity graph for Flor.

Baker
From the English surname, which originally referred either to a person employed as a baker or to “the owner of a communal oven used by the whole village.” Here’s the popularity graph for Baker.

Desire
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Desire.

Star
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Star.

Jadore
From the French phrase j’adore, meaning “I adore” or “I love.” Here’s the popularity graph for Jadore.

Greer
From the Scottish surname, which is derived from the name Gregor. Here’s the popularity graph for Greer.

Cedar
From the type of tree. Here’s the popularity graph for Cedar.


Less-common girl names that end with an R-sound include Harbor, Tamar, Vesper, Pilar, Hajar, Azure, and Larimar.

Which of the above do you like most? What others can you think of?

P.S. Here are lists of girl names that end with D-, K-, L-, M-, S-, T-, V-, and Z-sounds.

Sources:

  • SSA
  • Behind the Name
  • Hanks, Patrick, Kate Hardcastle and Flavia Hodges. (Eds.) A Dictionary of First Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
  • Hanks, Patrick. (Ed.) Dictionary of American Family Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

Popular baby names in New York City, 2022

Flag of New York
Flag of New York

Did you know that New York City is the most densely populated major city in the United States? (Next on the list is Chicago, followed by Philadelphia.)

In 2022, the Big Apple welcomed 99,459 babies — 48,864 girls and 50,595 boys.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Emma and Liam, yet again. (Emma has been the #1 girl name since 2017; Liam has been the #1 boy name since 2016.)

Here are New York City’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2022:

Girl Names

  1. Emma
  2. Mia
  3. Olivia
  4. Sophia
  5. Leah (ranked 52nd for girls nationally in 2022)
  6. Ava
  7. Esther (139th)
  8. Isabella
  9. Luna
  10. Amelia

Boy Names

  1. Liam
  2. Noah
  3. Ethan (ranked 21st for boys nationally in 2022)
  4. Lucas
  5. David (31st)
  6. Jacob (32nd)
  7. Aiden (29th)
  8. Joseph (30th)
  9. Daniel (14th)
  10. Alexander (17th)

In the girls’ top 10, Esther replaced Sofia. (That said, “it’s worth noting that if Sofia and Sophia were counted as a single name, it would be number one.”)

In the boys’ top 10, Alexander replaced Benjamin.

Finally, here’s a link to New York City’s 2021 rankings, if you’d like to check them out.

Sources: Health Department Announces Top Baby Names in New York City, List of United States cities by population density – Wikipedia

Image: Adapted from Flag of New York (public domain)

Popular baby names in Denmark, 2022

Flag of Denmark
Flag of Denmark

Denmark is second-most populous Nordic country, after Sweden. (The three smaller Nordic countries are Finland, Norway, and Iceland.)

Last year, Denmark welcomed 58,430 babies. The most popular names among these babies? Ella and William.

Here are Denmark’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2022:

Girl Names

  1. Ella, 442 baby girls
  2. Freja, 413
  3. Alma, 409
  4. Frida, 403
  5. Agnes, 389
  6. Luna, 383
  7. Ida, 381
  8. Nora, 378
  9. Olivia, 377
  10. Sofia, 376
  11. Emma, 375
  12. Clara, 361
  13. Asta, 358
  14. Alberte, 337 (tie)
  15. Karla, 337 (tie)
  16. Lily, 321
  17. Ellie, 320
  18. Anna, 315
  19. Ellen, 303
  20. Esther, 292
  21. Astrid, 238
  22. Isabella, 235
  23. Lærke, 234
  24. Josefine, 231
  25. Laura, 226
  26. Mathilde, 220
  27. Emily, 215 (tie)
  28. Mille, 215 (tie)
  29. Merle, 207
  30. Saga, 201
  31. Victoria, 199
  32. Aya, 197 (tie)
  33. Maja, 197 (tie)
  34. Marie, 192
  35. Vera, 191
  36. Leonora, 181
  37. Hannah, 179
  38. Vilma, 176
  39. Andrea, 165
  40. Liva, 160
  41. Liv, 159
  42. Elina, 158
  43. Lea, 156 (tie)
  44. Molly, 156 (tie)
  45. Gry, 153
  46. Eva, 151
  47. Johanne, 149
  48. Ingrid, 146 (tie)
  49. Rosa, 146 (tie)
  50. Emilie, 137

Boy Names

  1. William, 560 baby boys
  2. Karl, 466
  3. Emil, 459
  4. Oscar, 455
  5. Malthe, 452
  6. Noah, 446
  7. Valdemar, 432
  8. Aksel, 428
  9. August, 398 (tie)
  10. Oliver, 398 (tie)
  11. Lucas, 396
  12. Alfred, 391
  13. Theo, 376
  14. Elias, 370
  15. Arthur, 364
  16. Otto, 332
  17. Elliot, 325
  18. Felix, 314
  19. Victor, 299
  20. Magnus, 296
  21. Hugo, 281
  22. Viggo, 277
  23. Matheo, 276
  24. Louie, 268
  25. Liam, 258
  26. Lauge, 257
  27. Anton, 252
  28. Theodor, 246
  29. Anker, 234
  30. Konrad, 233
  31. Nohr, 219
  32. Holger, 214
  33. Frederik, 205
  34. Alexander, 192
  35. Adam, 187
  36. Erik, 186
  37. Storm, 183
  38. Ebbe, 182 (tie)
  39. Luca, 182 (tie)
  40. Vincent, 174
  41. Albert, 173 (tie)
  42. Pelle, 173 (tie)
  43. Milas, 169
  44. Walter, 166
  45. Marius, 164 (tie)
  46. Vilhelm, 164 (tie)
  47. Asger, 161 (tie)
  48. Johan, 161 (tie)
  49. Christian, 159
  50. Villads, 152

The Kingdom of Denmark also includes two autonomous regions: Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

The top baby names in the Faroes in 2022 were Eva and Bartal (which is related to Bartholomew). Here’s more:

Girl names (Faroes)Boy names (Faroes)
1. Eva, 7 baby girls
2. Anna, 5 (4-way tie)
3. Elvira, 5 (4-way tie)
4. Olivia, 5 (4-way tie)
5. Sólja, 5 (4-way tie)
6. Bára, 4 (7-way tie)
7. Bjarta, 4 (7-way tie)
8. Bjørg, 4 (7-way tie)
9. Lilja, 4 (7-way tie)
10. Lív, 4 (7-way tie)
11. Ronja, 4 (7-way tie)
12. Tóra, 4 (7-way tie)
1. Bartal, 7 baby boys
2. Baldur, 5 (7-way tie)
3. Brandur, 5 (7-way tie)
4. Kristian, 5 (7-way tie)
5. Lukas, 5 (7-way tie)
6. Niels, 5 (7-way tie)
7. Nóa, 5 (7-way tie)
8. Rókur, 5 (7-way tie)
9. Gilli, 4 (4-way tie)
10. Mattias, 4 (4-way tie)
11. Ragnar, 4 (4-way tie)
12. Tóki, 4 (4-way tie)

Names used a single time in the Faroes last year include the girl names Døgg (“dew”) and Royða (“tufa“) and the boy names Bogi (“bow”) and Sproti (“sprout”).

Greenland’s top baby names of 2022, on the other hand, are still unknown at this point. Why? Because whoever edited the country’s English-language statistical booklet, Greenland in Figures 2023 [PDF], forgot to update the small section about baby names on page seven. :)

In 2021, the top baby names in Denmark were Alma and Oscar, the top baby names in the Faroes were Lea/Lív and Jónas, and the top baby names in Greenland were Lea/Luna and Aputsiaq/Marco.

Update, Jul. 2024: Greenland’s top baby names of 2022 — Inuk and Leo for boys, Aviana and Ivalu for girls — were finally included in Greenland’s 2024 [PDF] booklet. :)

Sources: Names of newborn children – Statistics Denmark, Births – Statistics Denmark, Nordic Countries – Wikipedia, Statistical Database (Names) – Hagstova Føroya, Nordic Names

Image: Adapted from Flag of Denmark (public domain)