{{other uses}} '''Hester''' is both a female given name and a surname. As a given name Hester is a variant of Esther.{{cn|date=March 2025}} In Ireland, particularly County Mayo, the surname Hester is found as an Anglicized form of the Gaelic ''Ó hOistir'' descendant of Oistir, who was likely an early 13th century immigrant from Tuscany.
==Given name== * Hester Adrian, Baroness Adrian (1899—1966), British mental health worker * Hester Bateman (bap. 1708–1794), English silversmith * Hester A. Benedict (1838-1921), American poet and writer * Hester Biddle (c. 1629–97), English Quaker writer * Hester "Hetty" Burr (c. 1796-1862), American abolitionist * Hester Chapone (1727–1801), British author * Hester A. Davis (1930–2014), American archaeologist * Hester Dowden (1868–1949), Irish spiritualist medium * Hester Dunn (b. 1940), Northern Irish former loyalist activist and writer * Hester Maria Elphinstone, Viscountess Keith (1764-1857), British literary correspondent and intellectual * Hester Goodsell (born 1984), British rower * Hester Grenville, 1st Countess Temple (c. 1690–1752), English noblewoman * Hester Jane Haskins (fl. 1860–75), 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 Parnall (1868–1939), English brewer and businesswoman * 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 (1605–1678), British writer * Catherine Hester Ralfe (c. 1831–1912), New Zealand dressmaker, teacher, storekeeper, housekeeper and diarist * Hester Dorsey Richardson (1862-1933), American author * 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 (1958–2021), Dutch designer * Hester Veltman-Kamp (born 1973), Dutch politician * Hester Wagstaff (1892-1953), English illustrator, author and jeweller
==Surname== * Bart Hester (b. 1977), American politician * Benny Hester (b. 1948), 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 * Frank Hester (b. 1966), British businessman * 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 (1924-2014), American educator * Jessie Hester (b. 1963), American football player * Joan Hester (1932–2019), 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 (1955–2013), former chief technology officer of Advanced Micro Devices * Randolph T. Hester American professor, sociologist, and landscape architect * Ray Hester (1949–1977), American football player * Rita Hester (d. 1998), transgender African American murder victim * Sandra Hester, American activist and former television host * Stephen Hester (b. 1960), CEO of RSA Insurance Group * Treyvon Hester (b. 1992), American football player * Wallace Hester (1866-1942), British caricaturist for ''Vanity Fair'' * William Hester, also known as Slew Hester (1912-1993), American tennis official
==Fictional characters== *Hester Argyle, a character in Agatha Christie's novel ''Ordeal by Innocence'' * 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. * Hester, the daemon companion of Lee Scoresby in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. * Hester Sherwood, one of the four characters from the Australian 2002 play ''Wicked Sisters'' by Alma De Groen. * Hester, the daughter of the witch from Hansel and Gretel in School for Good and Evil
== See also ==
*{{intitle|Hester}} *Hessy, a related name and nickname
{{given name|type=both}}
Category:English feminine given names Category:Feminine given names