Ester

Ester is the form of Esther used across several European languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Scandinavian, and Slavic traditions, as well as being a direct Biblical Hebrew rendering of the name. The precise origin of the Hebrew name Ester is debated: it may derive from the Persian word for star, from the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, or from a Hebrew root meaning hidden. The name belongs to the Old Testament figure Esther, a Jewish queen of Persia whose story is recorded in the Book of Esther and celebrated in the Jewish festival of Purim. Closely related forms include Esther, Hester, and Eszter.