In 2010, 5 American girls were given the name Hester.
I think of Hester as the sweet, demure cousin of the formidable Esther. Perhaps that characterization comes from Hester Gray, the L.M. Montgomery character, or from Lee Scoresby's tender daemon in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. Whatever the reason, Hester strikes me as lovely and soft, like a whisper.
Yet, the two most famous pop-culture Hesters are no shrinking violets. One is Hester Prynne, protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, and the other is "Hester the Molester" from John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany.
When I have seen this name discussed on baby name boards, it seems that most people think that these two associations render Hester untouchable. I don't agree. While having a name that rhymes with "molester" is potentially unfortunate, it doesn't seem to be hurting the equally rhyming Esther, which is currently #267 nationally. The other objection — that Hester Prynne was a slut — makes me a little sad for all the 10th-grade English teachers out there whose labors have obviously gone to waste.
Love Hester. I've been shouted down on message boards - "Hester?! Like Hawthorne's Hester?!" Yes, like Hawthorne's Hester. I'd call her Hettie. Remains one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteHester is not for me, but I'd be thrilled to meet a little girl named Hester. Or anyone under the age of 80 really. Strangely enough, my great-grandmother had a brother named Hester. Needless to say he went by his middle name Monroe.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Hester the Molester.. I think Chester the Molester. That's why I can't bring myself to like Chester, even though it's exactly the kind of name I like and it's a family name.
Maybe with the influx of H names lately, it'll come up! I don't see why not, I mean - at first glance it's unattractive, but reading it over a few times, it's not that bad!
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