Boy nameCurrently #1,650 in the USSteady
Chester
CHES-ter//ˈtʃɛstər//
2 syllablesPeak year: 19207 lettersStarts with C
Meaning & origin
Fortified camp (from a Roman-founded English city)
Chester comes from the English city of the same name, itself derived from the Latin 'castrum', meaning fortified camp — a legacy of Roman military settlements across Britain. A well-used late-19th and early-20th-century name, it has a distinctive, sturdy retro appeal.
Chester's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Chester |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 168 |
| 1881 | 274 |
| 1882 | 300 |
| 1883 | 290 |
| 1884 | 338 |
| 1885 | 273 |
| 1886 | 287 |
| 1887 | 207 |
| 1888 | 288 |
| 1889 | 274 |
| 1890 | 263 |
| 1891 | 252 |
| 1892 | 285 |
| 1893 | 291 |
| 1894 | 330 |
| 1895 | 377 |
| 1896 | 336 |
| 1897 | 290 |
| 1898 | 321 |
| 1899 | 294 |
| 1900 | 371 |
| 1901 | 253 |
| 1902 | 328 |
| 1903 | 336 |
| 1904 | 355 |
| 1905 | 388 |
| 1906 | 429 |
| 1907 | 424 |
| 1908 | 466 |
| 1909 | 480 |
| 1910 | 572 |
| 1911 | 717 |
| 1912 | 1,476 |
| 1913 | 1,779 |
| 1914 | 2,307 |
| 1915 | 3,057 |
| 1916 | 3,232 |
| 1917 | 3,359 |
| 1918 | 3,712 |
| 1919 | 3,462 |
| 1920 | 3,726 |
| 1921 | 3,573 |
| 1922 | 3,155 |
| 1923 | 3,173 |
| 1924 | 3,056 |
| 1925 | 2,738 |
| 1926 | 2,569 |
| 1927 | 2,425 |
| 1928 | 2,273 |
| 1929 | 1,987 |
| 1930 | 1,808 |
| 1931 | 1,735 |
| 1932 | 1,620 |
| 1933 | 1,405 |
| 1934 | 1,404 |
| 1935 | 1,441 |
| 1936 | 1,291 |
| 1937 | 1,285 |
| 1938 | 1,236 |
| 1939 | 1,302 |
| 1940 | 1,362 |
| 1941 | 1,458 |
| 1942 | 1,574 |
| 1943 | 1,639 |
| 1944 | 1,537 |
| 1945 | 1,458 |
| 1946 | 1,632 |
| 1947 | 1,726 |
| 1948 | 1,566 |
| 1949 | 1,451 |
| 1950 | 1,386 |
| 1951 | 1,407 |
| 1952 | 1,470 |
| 1953 | 1,392 |
| 1954 | 1,429 |
| 1955 | 1,261 |
| 1956 | 1,254 |
| 1957 | 1,195 |
| 1958 | 1,057 |
| 1959 | 1,007 |
| 1960 | 936 |
| 1961 | 893 |
| 1962 | 780 |
| 1963 | 732 |
| 1964 | 711 |
| 1965 | 629 |
| 1966 | 543 |
| 1967 | 533 |
| 1968 | 506 |
| 1969 | 544 |
| 1970 | 521 |
| 1971 | 508 |
| 1972 | 417 |
| 1973 | 422 |
| 1974 | 435 |
| 1975 | 355 |
| 1976 | 370 |
| 1977 | 393 |
| 1978 | 378 |
| 1979 | 355 |
| 1980 | 349 |
| 1981 | 349 |
| 1982 | 332 |
| 1983 | 297 |
| 1984 | 285 |
| 1985 | 264 |
| 1986 | 220 |
| 1987 | 251 |
| 1988 | 227 |
| 1989 | 228 |
| 1990 | 226 |
| 1991 | 209 |
| 1992 | 203 |
| 1993 | 154 |
| 1994 | 149 |
| 1995 | 145 |
| 1996 | 124 |
| 1997 | 122 |
| 1998 | 117 |
| 1999 | 100 |
| 2000 | 109 |
| 2001 | 81 |
| 2002 | 97 |
| 2003 | 95 |
| 2004 | 89 |
| 2005 | 95 |
| 2006 | 71 |
| 2007 | 81 |
| 2008 | 92 |
| 2009 | 73 |
| 2010 | 74 |
| 2011 | 82 |
| 2012 | 71 |
| 2013 | 78 |
| 2014 | 84 |
| 2015 | 98 |
| 2016 | 76 |
| 2017 | 93 |
| 2018 | 93 |
| 2019 | 91 |
| 2020 | 99 |
| 2021 | 67 |
| 2022 | 94 |
| 2023 | 96 |
| 2024 | 102 |
Chester through the decades
- Chester peaked in 1920, when 3,726 babies were named Chester in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Chester has risen 13% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Chester currently ranks #1,650 in the US and is holding steady.
Nicknames
Chet
Variants & spellings
Chet