Lester

Not to be confused with Leicester.

For other uses, see Lester (disambiguation).

Lester
Other names
Variant(s)	Lister, Lestre

Lester is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname, first found in Cheshire, England. It originated from an original family living in Leicester, England, and is derived from the concatenation of an Old English tribal name "Ligore" and the Old English word ceaster meaning "Roman town or walled city".

Lester may refer to:

People

Given name

• Lester Bangs (1948–1982), American music critic
• Lester W. Bentley (1908–1972), American Artist from Wisconsin
• Lester Bird (born 1938), second Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda (1994–2004)
• Lester Cotton (born 1996), American football player
• Lester del Rey (1915–1993), American science fiction author and editor
• 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 Maddox (1915–2003), governor and lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of Georgia
• Lester Patrick (1883–1960), professional ice hockey player
• Lester B. Pearson (1897–1972), fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada
• Lester Piggott (born 1935), English jockey
• Lester Prosper (born 1988), Indonesian basketball player
• Lester Speight (born 1971), 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
• Brad Lester (born 1985), collegiate American football player
• Gavin Lester, Australian rugby league footballer
• Jack Lester (born 1975), professional English football (soccer) player
• Jenna Lester (born 1989), American dermatologist
• John Lester (1871–1969), American cricketer
• Jon Lester (born 1984), Major League Baseball pitcher
• Julia Lester (born 1999), American actress
• Julius Lester (1939–2018), American writer
• Lashonda Lester (died 2017), American stand-up comedian
• Luke Fleet Lester, American engineer
• Mark L. Lester (born 1946), American movie producer
• Mary Louise Lester (born 1921), All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
• Marsha I. Lester, American physical chemist
• Paul Lester, British music journalist
• Paul Martin Lester (born 1953), communications professor and author
• 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
• Richard Lester (born 1932), British film director
• Ryan Lester (born 1992), Australian rules footballer
• Seán Lester (1880–1959), Irish diplomat
• Sonny Lester (born 1924), American record producer
• Tom Lester (1938–2020), American actor
• Tom Lester (American football) (1927–2012), American football coach
• William "Buddy" Lester (1915–2002), American actor and comedian

Fictional characters

• James Lester, from the television series Primeval
• Lester Patel, from the television series Chuck
• Lester Freamon, from the television show The Wire
• Lester Krinklesac, from the television show The Cleveland Show
• Lester Nessman from the television show WKRP in Cincinnati
• Lester Nygaard, from the television series Fargo
• Lester Sludge, from the television show M.A.S.K.
• Lester Crest, from the video game Grand Theft Auto V
• Lester Papadopoulos, from the book serie Trails of Apollo by Rick Riordan
• Lester Burnham, main character in Sam Mendes' film American Beauty
• Lester Diamond, James Woods' character in Casino

See also

• Leicester, a city in England often pronounced "Lester"