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Home › Baby Names Directory › Chester

Chester

♂ Boy

Pronounced CHES-tuhr /ˈtʃɛs.təɹ/Medium

Meaning: Camp, fortress (from Latin castra)Medium

In 30 seconds: Chester means 'camp' or 'fortress', from the Latin castra. It comes through English place names built on Roman military camps.
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Origin MediumEnglish, Latin
MeaningCamp, fortress (from Latin castra)
U.S. rank (2025)#1588 ↗ Rising
2025 U.S. births107 boys (0.01% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1920
Total births (all-time)≈ 121,476

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 192018802025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

The Latin castra meant an army camp, and it left its mark on English town names ending in -chester. Chester drew on that, carrying the sense of a fortified Roman settlement. From place name to surname to given name, it kept its solid, old-stone feel.

The name has a friendly, slightly old-fashioned warmth despite its martial root. Singer Chester Bennington (1976 to 2017), the voice of Linkin Park, is one of its best-known modern bearers.

Did you know? Chester likely reached first-name use through a surname or place-name route, which gives it that modern borrowed-from-history feel.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Chester — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

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Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Chester Bennington (1976–2017)
    American singer who was the lead vocalist of the rock band Linkin Park.

If you like Chester…

Lester— another English place-derived boy's name with a similar vintage sound to Chester
Chet— the natural short form of Chester
Carver— a similarly popular pick
Colter— shares the -er ending
Calder— shares the -er ending

Explore names like Chester

By themeenglishsurname-style

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Chester mean?

Chester is usually explained as meaning 'camp, fortress' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Chester?

It's commonly said CHES-tuhr /ˈtʃɛs.təɹ/.

Is Chester a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Chester is used as a boy name.

How popular is Chester?

In 2024, Chester ranked #1650 in the U.S. for boys, with 102 births recorded.

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