Lester

Lester comes from an English surname associated with the city of Leicester. The city’s name has been explained through an old river name, Ligore, and the Latin word castra, meaning a camp. Its immediate surname meaning is therefore a person from Leicester, with the older geographical elements lying behind that.

The spelling Lester reflects the familiar spoken form of Leicester more directly than the city’s longer written name. Les is an established shortening, while Lester itself is a complete given name. A family can use it to preserve a surname or a relative’s first name without needing to interpret it as a modern blend of names beginning with Les.