So recently I just fell in love with the story of [name_f]Esther[/name_f] from the Bible. I love that it tells the story of a women who takes action and is a story of a strong female.
Couple of questions regard the name though? Does [name_f]Esther[/name_f] sound more like a Jewish name, since her story is the history bhind a Jewish holiday?
Does [name_f]Esther[/name_f] sound too dated? Is Estée better/worse?
What about nicknames? I like [name_f]Etty[/name_f], [name_f]Ettie[/name_f], [name_f]Etta[/name_f] and [name_f]Essie[/name_f]. [name_f]Do[/name_f] you have a fav?
There are a lot of Christians named [name_f]Esther[/name_f] that I know. They don’t use a nickname. Another version is [name_f]Aster[/name_f], which I think is lovely, especially if you like floral or nature names.
I love [name_f]Esther[/name_f] – it’s my first daughter’s middle name and would have been my second daughter’s first name if we hadn’t already used it as a middle! My husband’s grandma was [name_f]Esther[/name_f] and she was [name_m]Christian[/name_m], so I don’t think of it as a Jewish name, just a Biblical name.
Great story, but unfortunate name. In any case, Biblical names are fine for Jewish/[name_m]Christian[/name_m] and literary folks alike. [name_f]Aster[/name_f] (Astor?) is pretty, but [name_f]Etta[/name_f] might be my favorite form–I like any name that can be connected to a blues/jazz singer.
Och, I love the story of [name_f]Esther[/name_f]! It’s probably my favorite story in the Bible. [name_f]Esther[/name_f] I don’t find Jewish (in fact, there’s a lady named [name_f]Esther[/name_f] in my church). Honestly, the majority (if not all–there are a few Greek names, like [name_m]Gaius[/name_m] and [name_m]Jason[/name_m], and such) of Bible names are Hebrew in origin, so they are technically both. But I think [name_f]Estee[/name_f] and [name_f]Tess[/name_f] are great nns for [name_f]Esther[/name_f], and it’s a beautiful name. I like it a lot as a middle name, too. I think something like [name_f]Grace[/name_f] [name_f]Esther[/name_f], [name_f]Lila[/name_f] [name_f]Esther[/name_f], [name_f]Violet[/name_f] [name_f]Esther[/name_f], [name_f]Julia[/name_f] [name_f]Esther[/name_f], etc., would be beautiful.
For what it’s worth, [name_f]Esther[/name_f] is technically not even Hebrew. If you remember in the story, [name_m]Mordecai[/name_m] told his niece/cousin [name_f]Hadassah[/name_f] not to use her name, because it wouldn’t end well for her, because she was a Jew. So she took on the name [name_f]Esther[/name_f], which was a Babylonian name (I think) meaning “star”–I think her original Hebrew name, [name_f]Hadassah[/name_f], means “star”, as well, but don’t quote me on that).
I like [name_f]Esther[/name_f] a lot and don’t think it’s limited to Jewish people (though the people I know named [name_f]Esther[/name_f] all happened to be Jewish). It’s like the Greek mythological names; I doubt all the little Phoebes and Thalias running around have Greek parents. [name_f]Estee[/name_f] just doesn’t have the same history or sound.
My husband’s grandma was [name_f]Esther[/name_f] and she was [name_m]Christian[/name_m], so I don’t think of it as a Jewish name, just a Biblical name.