Chester
Boy nameChester has been given to 122,302 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1920.
Meaning & origin /ˈt͡ʃɛ.stɚ/
From Middle English Chestre, from Old English Ċeaster, from ċeaster (“a town or city, especially a Roman one”). The village in Nova Scotia is likely named after the city in Pennsylvania.
Origin: surnames
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
122,302
Peak year
1920 (3,726 babies)
Rank in 2025
Below top 1000
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▲ +9%
Gender split
1% girls / 99% boys
Famous people named Chester
Chester A. Arthur
President of the United States from 1881 to 1885
Chester Bennington
American singer, songwriter and musician (1976–2017)
Chester W. Nimitz
United States Navy fleet admiral (1885–1966)
Howlin' Wolf
American blues musician (1910–1976)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Chester.
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