| Hester | Yasmin | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Star (disputed) | Jasmine flower |
| Origin | persian | persian |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | HES-ter | yaz-MEEN |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1949 |
| Peak year | 1918 (394) | 2006 (1,018) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 269 |
| Trend | Vintage | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Hester | Yasmin |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 10 | 1,680 |
| 2010s | 12 | 3,311 |
| 2000s | 15 | 8,426 |
| 1990s | 49 | 4,931 |
| 1980s | 154 | 1,845 |
| 1970s | 239 | 931 |
| 1960s | 348 | 320 |
| 1950s | 754 | 298 |
| 1940s | 1,115 | 5 |
| 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.
IS a bloom word: the Persian/Arabic form of the jasmine flower name, from Persian 'yasamin'. Variant of Jasmine/Yasmeen.
Yasmin is more popular than Hester today: about 269 US babies were given the name Yasmin in 2025, compared with 0 named Hester.
Hester means Star (disputed) (persian origin), while Yasmin means Jasmine flower (persian origin).
In US records, Hester first appears in 0 and Yasmin in 1949, so Hester has the longer recorded history.