First names in Hebrew

First name Esther: meaning, origin and its Hebrew spelling

אסתר

Gematria value: 661

Its spelling

In Hebrew, Esther is written אסתר

Meaning and origin

What does Esther mean?

Meaning: probably from the Persian for "star"; linked to the Hebrew for "hidden"
Origin: Persian

Esther is the queen of the book that bears her name, read every year on Purim. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, “myrtle”; Esther was her name at the Persian court (Esther 2:7). The name is most often traced to Persian, where a very close word means “star”. The Talmud already knew it: the nations, it says, called her after the morning star (Megillah 13a).

Gematria

Esther = 661

In Hebrew, every letter is also a number. Added together, the letters of the name give its value: this is gematria. אסתר has 4 letters:

• אthe letter Aleph1
• סthe letter Samekh60
• תthe letter Tav400
• רthe letter Resh200
• Total661

The verse of the name

From the letter Aleph to the letter Resh

An ancient custom gives each person a verse: the one that begins with the first letter of their name and ends with the last. For Esther, from א to ר:

אָחִישָׁה מִפְלָט לִי מֵרוּחַ סֹעָה מִסָּעַר׃

“I would hurry to find myself a shelter from the raging wind and the storm.”

Psalms 55:9

The book of your first name

Esther, in nine pages

• Esther, in Hebrew
• Letter by letter
• The number of your name
• The verse of your name
• The portrait of Esther
• Esther, day to day
• What tradition says about names
• The sources

Frequently asked

Esther in three answers

How do you write Esther in Hebrew?
In Hebrew, Esther is written אסתר.

What is the gematria value of Esther?
Written אסתר, Esther is worth 661: the letter Aleph (1) + the letter Samekh (60) + the letter Tav (400) + the letter Resh (200).

What does Esther mean?
Probably from the Persian for "star"; linked to the Hebrew for "hidden (origin: Persian). Esther is the queen of the book that bears her name, read every year on Purim. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, “myrtle”; Esther was her name at the Persian court (Esther 2:7). The name is most often traced to Persian, where a very close word means “star”. The Talmud already knew it: the nations, it says, called her after the morning star (Megillah 13a).