| Hester | Jasmine | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Star (disputed) | Jasmine flower |
| Origin | persian | persian |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | HES-ter | JAZ-min |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1906 |
| Peak year | 1918 (394) | 1993 (12,063) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 1,481 |
| Trend | Vintage | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Hester | Jasmine |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 10 | 9,952 |
| 2010s | 12 | 29,393 |
| 2000s | 15 | 76,080 |
| 1990s | 49 | 105,322 |
| 1980s | 154 | 32,952 |
| 1970s | 239 | 4,133 |
| 1960s | 348 | 346 |
| 1950s | 754 | 327 |
| 1940s | 1,115 | 11 |
| 1930s | 1,523 | 21 |
| 1920s | 3,037 | 46 |
| 1910s | 3,111 | 38 |
| 1900s | 1,663 | 5 |
| 1890s | 1,401 | 0 |
| 1880s | 796 | 0 |
A medieval English variant of Esther, carrying the same widely-accepted 'star' sense (via Old Persian 'stara') and the same unresolved debate over whether the root is the word for star or the goddess Ishtar. Known from Hawthorne's Hester Prynne.
IS a bloom word: from the flowering plant, via Old French 'jasmin' from Persian 'yasamin' (jasmine).
Jasmine is more popular than Hester today: about 1,481 US babies were given the name Jasmine in 2025, compared with 0 named Hester.
Hester means Star (disputed) (persian origin), while Jasmine means Jasmine flower (persian origin).
In US records, Hester first appears in 0 and Jasmine in 1906, so Hester has the longer recorded history.