Hester

Hester is an English form of the name Esther, which itself is of disputed origin — it may derive from the Old Persian word for star, or possibly from a Hebrew root meaning hidden or concealed, or from the Babylonian goddess name Ishtar. The name gained wide use in the English-speaking world through the biblical Book of Esther, which tells of a Jewish queen who saved her people from persecution in the Persian court. It was particularly popular in Puritan communities, and the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne gave the name lasting literary resonance through his protagonist Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter. Closely related forms include Esther, Ester, and Hesther.