Lester

Not to be confused with Leicester.

For other uses, see Lester (disambiguation).

Lester

Origin
Region of origin	England
Other names
Variant forms	Lister, Lestre, Lessiter, Lassiter

Lester is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname and given name.

People

Given name

• Lester Bangs (1948–1982), American music critic
• Lester Oliver Bankhead (1912–1997), American architect
• Lester W. Bentley (1908–1972), American artist from Wisconsin
• Lester Bird (1938–2021), second prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda (1994–2004)
• Lester D. Boronda (1886–1953), American painter, furniture designer, sculptor
• Lester Cotton (born 1996), American football player
• Lester del Rey (1915–1993), American science fiction author and editor
• Lester Ellis (born 1965), Australian former professional boxer
• Lester Flatt (1914–1979), American bluegrass musician
• Lester Gillis (1908–1934), better known as Baby Face Nelson, American gangster
• Lester Holt (born 1959), American television journalist
• Lester Charles King (1907–1989), English geomorphologist
• Lester Lanin (1907–2004), American jazz and pop music bandleader
• Lester Lockett (1912–2005), American Negro League baseball player
• Lester Maddox (1915–2003), governor and lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of Georgia
• Lester Martínez (born 1995), Guatemalan professional boxer
• Lester Julian Merriweather (born 1978), American visual artist, collagist, painter
• Lester Patrick (1883–1960), Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• Lester B. Pearson (1897–1972), fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada
• Lester Piggott (1935–2022), English jockey
• Lester Prosper (born 1988), Indonesian basketball player
• Lester Quiñones (born 2000), Dominican-American basketball player
• Lester Speight (born 1963), American actor, former football player and wrestler; known for his portrayal as Terry Tate, Office Linebacker
• Lester Thurow (1938–2016), American economist
• Lester Young (1909–1959), American jazz tenor saxophonist

Surname

• Adrian Lester (born 1968), British actor
• Albert Lester (c. 1803 – 1867), New York politician
• Alison Lester (born 1952), Australian author and illustrator
• Brad Lester (born 1985), collegiate American football player
• Gabriella Lester (born 2003), Canadian magician, escapologist and television producer
• Gavin Lester (born 1977), Australian rugby league footballer
• Holly Lester, disc jockey from Northern Ireland
• Jack Lester (born 1975), English football (soccer) player
• Jenna Lester (born 1989), American dermatologist
• Jim Lester (British politician) (1932–2021), British politician
• John Lester (1871–1969), American cricketer
• Jon Lester (born 1984), American baseball player
• Josh Lester (born 1994), American baseball player
• Julia Lester (soccer) (born 1998), American professional soccer player
• Julia Lester (born 2000), American actress
• Julius Lester (1939–2018), American writer
• Lashonda Lester (c. 1975–2017), American stand-up comedian
• Luke Fleet Lester, American engineer
• Mark L. Lester (born 1946), American film producer
• Mary Louise Lester (1919–1977), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
• Marsha I. Lester, American physical chemist
• Paul Lester, British music journalist
• Paul Martin Lester (1953–2023), American communications professor and author
• Peter Lester (disambiguation)
  • Peter Lester (abolitionist), American-born 19th-century businessman and abolitionist
  • Peter Lester (sailor), New Zealand sailor and broadcaster
• Phil Lester (born 1987), British YouTuber and BBC Radio 1 presenter
• Robert "Squirrel" Lester (1942–2010), American singer, original member of the vocal group The Chi-Lites
• Robie Lester (1925–2005), American actress
• Richard A. Lester (1908–1997), American economist
• Richard Lester (born 1932), British film director
• Richard Neville Lester (1937–2006), British botanist
• Ryan Lester (born 1992), Australian rules footballer
• Seán Lester (1880–1959), Irish diplomat
• Sonny Lester (1924–2018), American record producer
• Tom Lester (1938–2020), American actor
• Tom Lester (American football) (1927–2012), American football coach
• Vicki Lester (1915–2001), American actress
• William "Buddy" Lester (1915–2002), American actor and comedian
• Yami Lester (1941–2017), Australian Indigenous rights advocate

Fictional characters

• Lester, a goose in Chris Colfer's The Land of Stories
• Lester Burnham, main character in the film American Beauty
• Lester Crest, from the video game Grand Theft Auto V
• Lester Freamon, from the television show The Wire
• Lester Krinklesac, from the television show The Cleveland Show
• James Peregrine Lester, from the television series Primeval
• Lester Nessman from the television show WKRP in Cincinnati
• Lester Nygaard, from the television series Fargo
• Lester Papadopoulos, from the book series Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan
• Lester Patel, from the television series Chuck
• Lester Sludge, from the television show M.A.S.K.

See also

Middle name

• H. Lester Hooker (1921–1999), American college basketball and baseball coach
• Leicester, a city in England pronounced the same way as "Lester"

External links

• Media related to Lester (given name) at Wikimedia Commons