Contents [hide]

Lester History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Lester History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Lester is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in Leicester, in Leicestershire. Leicester is the capital of the county and its name is derived from the Old English element ceaster, which meant "Roman town." 1

Early Origins of the Lester family

The surname Lester was first found in Cheshire at Leycester, more commonly known as Leicester, a city now in the unitary authority area in the East Midlands. The first record of the place name was found in the early 10th century as "Ligera ceater" but by the Domesday Book of 1086 the place name had evolved to Ledecestre. 2

Literally the place name means "Roman town of the people called Ligore," having derived from the Tribal name + the Old English word "ceater." 1 As far as the surname is concerned, the family are "descended from Sir Nicholas Leycester, who acquired the manor of Nether-Tabley in marriage, and died in 1295." 3

But another source notes that Hugo de Legrecestra was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Leicestershire in 1130, followed by Nicholas de Leycester who was listed in the Assize Rolls for Cheshire in 1287. 4

And another source notes that the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list what is probably the first instance of the name as Robert de Lestre. 5

Yorkshire was home to an early branch of the family: Richard de Laycestre in 1305; Henry Lycester in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls in 1381; William Leycetter in 1480; and Henry Lasisture in 1503. 4

Early History of the Lester family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lester research. Another 133 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1586, 1588, 1604, 1605, 1614, 1620, 1642, 1643, 1647, 1674, 1678, 1684, 1705, 1706, 1715, 1727, 1732, 1742, 1762, 1770 and 1827 are included under the topic Early Lester History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lester Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Lester has been spelled many different ways, including Leycester, Leicester, Leister, Lester and others.

Early Notables of the Lester family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Peter Leycester (Leicester), 1st Baronet (1614-1678), an English antiquarian and historian, supporter of the Royalist side in the Civil War. He was born at Nether Tabley, near Knutsford, Cheshire, England, the eldest son of Peter Leycester (1588-1647) and Elizabeth Mainwaring. In 1642 he married Elizabeth Gerard, the third daughter of Gilbert, 2nd Baron Gerard. They had three sons and three daughters. He died at his home in 1678 and was buried at Great Budworth, Cheshire. He was succeeded in the baronetage by...
Another 90 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lester Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lester World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lester is the 598^th most popular surname with an estimated 49,740 people with that name. 6 However, in Australia, the name Lester is ranked the 828^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,739 people with that name. 7 And in New Zealand, the name Lester is the 982^nd popular surname with an estimated 764 people with that name. 8 The United Kingdom ranks Lester as 882^nd with 7,755 people. 9

Migration of the Lester family to Ireland

Some of the Lester family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lester migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Lesters to arrive in North America:

Lester Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Lester, who landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 10
James Lester, who settled in Virginia in 1637
Andrew Lester, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1641 10
Ralph Lester, who arrived in Virginia in 1643 10
Robert Lester, who landed in Virginia in 1649 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lester Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Richard Lester, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 10
William Lester, who landed in Virginia in 1711 10
George Lester, who settled in Charles Town, South Carolina, in 1767
Francis Lester, aged 18, who arrived in Maryland in 1774 10

Lester Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Anne Lester, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 10
Richard Albert Lester, who landed in Schuyler County, Illinois in 1848 10
N Lester, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 10
P Lester, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 10
E Lester, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lester migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lester Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Thomas Lester, who landed in Quebec in 1784
Ms. Mary Lester U.E. who settled in Parr Town, Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 11
Mr. Mordecai Lester U.E. who settled in Parr Town, Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 11
Ms. Sarah Lester U.E. who settled in Parr Town, Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 11
Mr. Thomas Lester U.E. who settled in Parr Town, Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lester Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Lester, who landed in Canada in 1832

Lester migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Lester Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Lester, Jr., English convict who was convicted in Dorset, England for life, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 22nd July 1830, arriving in New South Wales 12
Mr. William Lester, (b. 1791), aged 43, English farm servant who was convicted in Essex, England for 7 years for embezzlement, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
Mr. Joseph Lester, British Convict who was convicted in Worcester, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 20th July 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
Caroline Lester, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Seppings" in 1839 15
Emily Lester, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Seppings" in 1839 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lester migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Lester Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

W B Lester, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1841
Mr Lester, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1844
Annie Lester, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Anne Dymes" in 1864
Mr. Thomas Lester, (b. 1848), aged 26, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Peter Denny" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 26th July 1874 16
Mr. William Lester, (b. 1852), aged 22, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Peter Denny" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 26th July 1874 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Lester (post 1700) +

Timothy Lee "Tim" Lester (1968-2021), American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League, he died from COVID-19
E. Roy Lester (1923-2020), American college and high school head coach of Richard Montgomery High School, inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame in 2008
Thomas William "Tom" Lester (1938-2020), American actor and evangelist, best known for his role as the farmhand Eb Dawson on the television show Green Acres
Julius Lester (1939-2018), American writer of books for children and adults
Ron Lester (1970-2016), American actor
Mary Louise Lester (b. 1921), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League infielder who played from 1943 to 1944; she is part of the Women in Baseball exhibition at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York
Mark L. Lester (b. 1946), American award winning writer, producer, and director, known for Commando (1985), Firestarter (1984) and Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
John Ashby Lester (1871-1969), American First-class cricketer
Albert Lester (1803-1867), American lawyer and politician, Lieutenant Governor of New York in 1847
Sonny Lester (b. 1924), American Grammy-award winning music producer from New York City, recipient of the Purple Heart
... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Lester family +

HMS Royal Oak

Robert Lester (1922-1939), British Boy 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 17

RMS Titanic

Mr. James Lester (d. 1912), aged 39, English Third Class passenger from West Bromwich, Staffordshire who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 18

The Lester Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Pro rege et patria
Motto Translation: For King and country.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th February 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1837
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SEPPINGS 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Seppings.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html