| Hester | Roya | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Star (disputed) | Dream, vision |
| Origin | persian | Persian |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | HES-ter | ROH-yah |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1955 |
| Peak year | 1918 (394) | 2025 (76) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 76 |
| Trend | Vintage | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Hester | Roya |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 10 | 343 |
| 2010s | 12 | 392 |
| 2000s | 15 | 219 |
| 1990s | 49 | 275 |
| 1980s | 154 | 234 |
| 1970s | 239 | 99 |
| 1960s | 348 | 42 |
| 1950s | 754 | 19 |
| 1940s | 1,115 | 0 |
| 1930s | 1,523 | 0 |
| 1920s | 3,037 | 0 |
| 1910s | 3,111 | 0 |
| 1900s | 1,663 | 0 |
| 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.
Roya means “dream” or “vision” in Persian.
Roya is more popular than Hester today: about 76 US babies were given the name Roya in 2025, compared with 0 named Hester.
Hester means Star (disputed) (persian origin), while Roya means Dream, vision (Persian origin).
In US records, Hester first appears in 0 and Roya in 1955, so Hester has the longer recorded history.