# Hester

Hester is both a female given name and a surname. As a given name Hester is a variant of Esther. As a surname it is of Italian origin and uncertain meaning. 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 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

## Surname

* Bart Hester (b. 1977), American politician
* Benny Hester (b. 1948), American music artist and songwriter
* Betty Hester (1923-1998), American correspondent
* Bianca Hester, Australian artist, winner of the Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture in 2005 and 2011
* 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