Hester

Hester is an English and Dutch form of the biblical name Esther, which appears in the Hebrew scriptures as the name of a Jewish queen of Persia who saved her people from persecution. The precise origin of Esther is debated: it may derive from the Hebrew root meaning star, from the Persian word for star, or from the Babylonian goddess name Ishtar. The Latinized spelling Hester was common in medieval and early modern Europe and was notably borne by Hester Thrale, the eighteenth-century British writer and friend of Samuel Johnson. Related forms include Esther, Ester, and Eszter.