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Home › Baby Names Directory › Nestor

Nestor

♂ Boy

Pronounced NES-ter /ˈnɛs.tɚ/Medium

Meaning: from the Greek 'Nestor', associated with 'nostos' ('homecoming, return'); in Greek myth, the wise elder king of Pylos in the IliadMedium

In 30 seconds: Nestor is a Greek name linked to 'nostos', 'homecoming' or 'return', and worn in myth by the wise elder king of Pylos in the Iliad.
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Origin MediumGreek, Greek Mythology
Meaningfrom the Greek 'Nestor', associated with 'nostos' ('homecoming, return'); in Greek myth, the wise elder king of Pylos in the Iliad
U.S. rank (2025)#1535 ↗ Rising
2025 U.S. births113 boys (0.01% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1991
Total births (all-time)≈ 10,430

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 199118852025

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 name is connected to the Greek idea of nostos, the safe return home that drives so much of Greek epic. In the Iliad, Nestor is the aged, long-winded but respected king of Pylos, a byword for the wisdom of years. That mythic figure has carried the name through Greek tradition into the present.

Accented forms like Néstor and Nèstor show its life across Romance languages, while Nestore and Nestori mark Italian and Finnish use. The Spanish cinematographer Néstor Almendros, an Academy Award winner for Days of Heaven, is one notable bearer.

Did you know? The meaning usually attached to Nestor is 'returner, homecomer', and that core idea is what gives the name most of its long-term appeal.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Nestor — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

NèstorNestòrNestoriNestoreNéstor

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Néstor Almendros (1930–1992)
    Spanish cinematographer who won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven and worked with directors François Truffaut and Éric Rohmer.

If you like Nestor…

Alastor— a similarly popular pick
Eros— lands in the same popularity range
Kairos— lands in the same popularity range
Syrus— lands in the same popularity range
Aeson— a similarly popular pick

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Nestor mean?

Nestor is usually explained as meaning 'returner, homecomer' and is most often linked with Greek Mythology tradition.

How do you pronounce Nestor?

It's commonly said NES-ter /ˈnɛs.tɚ/.

Is Nestor a boy or girl name?

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

How popular is Nestor?

In 2024, Nestor ranked #1715 in the U.S. for boys, with 97 births recorded.

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