Lester is an English surname from the city of Leicester, whose name is usually explained as "fort of the Ligore people", a Roman town on the river Legro. It was a top 100 American name in the early 20th century, and news anchor Lester Holt keeps it visible today. Lester stood at number 1019 in 2000 and has stayed in that range since, ranking number 1641 in 2025 with 103 boys.