The Jester surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,587 people carried this name — #4,676 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 38,900 people counted. That is up 2% from 7,407 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Jester surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the jester’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 431 · public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 23 people named Jester.

Those born in France came from 3 départements, most often Bas-Rhin.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Bas-Rhin 21
Haut-Rhin 1
Territoire de Belfort 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In print

Jester in American newspapers,
1899–1905.

Newspaper page from The Philipsburg Mail carrying the name Jester
The Philipsburg Mail 1899-08-18
Newspaper page from Oxford Democrat carrying the name Jester
Oxford Democrat 1905-02-28
Newspaper page from Oxford Democrat carrying the name Jester
Oxford Democrat 1905-01-24

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Jester in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1950s.

836 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Jester. The most, 205, date from the 1920s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 236
New South Wales 224
South Australia 138
Queensland 133
Western Australia 69
Tasmania 29
ACT (Canberra) 4
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Jester.

Who carried it

People named Jester,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Friedrich Ernst Jester
    Friedrich Ernst Jester 1743–1822 · writer
  • George Taylor Jester
    George Taylor Jester 1847–1922 · politician
  • Maurice D. Jester
    Maurice D. Jester 1889–1957 · military personnel
  • Beauford H. Jester
    Beauford H. Jester 1893–1949 · lawyer
  • Manfred Jester d. 1977 · actor
  • Manfred Jester d. 1974 · actor

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Jester,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States468 records

468 records of the Jester name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 251
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 85
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 48
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 36
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 28
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 13
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • Sacramento County historic burials 2
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Richard Garver Jester

    Born 1949; from Norfolk, Virginia. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; died in an accident 1968 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam. Buried at Hampton National Cemetery, Virginia.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Joseph E. Jester

    Born 1910 in Delaware. Enlisted 1945 at Camden, New Jersey; survey chainman. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1986, buried at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Pennsylvania.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Catherine Jester

    Arrived at New York in 1854 aboard the American from Havre, aged 28; farmer. From Germany.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 468 records for Jester in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Germany44 records

44 records of the Jester name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Jakob Jester

    From Speyer. Reported wounded in the Bavarian casualty list of 21 February 1916 (Infantry Regiment No. 23).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Karl Jester

    From Karlsruhe, Baden. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 18 November 1914 (Grenadier Regiment No. 109).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Daniel Jester

    From Pirmasens, Pfalz. Reported wounded in the Bavarian casualty list of 17 August 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 44 records for Jester in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Australia13 records

13 records of the Jester name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 10
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 3
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Isaac Jester

    Arrived in Queensland in 1882 aboard the Merkara, aged 18.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Gustav Jester

    Sailed from Victoria in 1887 aboard the Salier I, bound for Bremen, aged 34.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Metta Jester

    Arrived in Queensland in 1884 aboard the Goalpara, aged 20.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 13 records for Jester in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

France11 records

11 records of the Jester name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Georges Emile Jester

    Born 1920 in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin); died 1994 in Colmar (Haut-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Emilie Rose Jester

    Born 1917 in Schiltigheim; died 1986 in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Auguste Alfred Jester

    Born 1943 in Sélestat (Bas-Rhin); died 1987 in Colmar (Haut-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Jester in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands3 records

3 records of the Jester name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 1
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Laurent Jester

    Died 1814 in Maastricht, aged 26.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Tomas Jester

    Buried in 1746 in Heusden.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Anna Jester

    In a population register.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Jester.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Jester is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Jester volume
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