Lester Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Lester Name Meaning: A variant of 'Lister',meaning 'son of the arrow maker'.Deriving from 'Leicester',county town of Leicestershire.

The name is of Anglo-Saxon origin.The earliest recorded spelling is that of 'Hugo De Legrecestra',dated 1130.

Discover how your Lester ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.

Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Lester Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Lester family

Profession Census Frequency
Agricultural Labourer 104
Female Servant 78
Labourer 60
Independent 55
Male Servant 32
Farmer 28
Shoe Maker 20
Frame Work Knitter 20
Ribbon Weaver 17
Dress Maker 14
Engineer 12
Carpenter 11
Miner 11
Cotton Weaver 11
Laundress 11
Tailor 11
Weaver 11
Servant 10
Potter Journeyman 9
Butcher 8
Independant 7
Gardener 7
Cotton Spinner 6
Grocer 6
Blacksmith 6

Lester Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Lister 83% 54,853
2 Lester 100% 34,712
3 Leicester 67% 4,707
4 Laister 71% 1,708
5 Leister 86% 940
6 Laster 83% 903
7 Loster 83% 493
8 Luster 83% 259
9 Alister 71% 247
10 Elster 67% 158
11 Leaster 86% 145
12 Lestor 83% 101

Did you know?

The surname Lester is the 2nd most popular variant of Lister.

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