The Tester surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,334 people carried this name — #7,663 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 68,000 people counted. That is up 4% from 4,154 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Tester surname

From Old French testard (“someone with a big head”), a pejorative from teste (“head”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Tester» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Testard’.

His entry covers Tester and Testard.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 742 · public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

112 people named Tester live in Switzerland.

They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Graubünden.

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

Where they live today

Graubünden 44
Zurich 22
Basel-Stadt 13
Solothurn 11
Basel-Landschaft 8
Aargau 7
St. Gallen 7

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Tester was found among the farmers of Sussex: 40 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Sussex 40

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In print

Tester in American newspapers,
1868–1919.

Newspaper page from The Evening Telegraph carrying the name Tester
The Evening Telegraph 1868-09-03
Newspaper page from Askov American carrying the name Tester
Askov American 1919-01-09
Newspaper page from Pierre Weekly Free Press carrying the name Tester
Pierre Weekly Free Press 1916-02-17

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 607 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Tester in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1980s.

6,932 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Tester. The most, 1,250, date from the 1910s. New South Wales 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 2.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 3,304
South Australia 2,028
Victoria 651
Queensland 466
Western Australia 389
Tasmania 65
ACT (Canberra) 11
Northern Territory 2

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

Who carried it

People named Tester,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Ruth Tester
    Ruth Tester 1903–1993 · singer
  • Alice Jemima Tester d. 1934
  • Christian Tester 1815–1890 · veterinarian
  • John Tester 1835–1918 · businessperson
  • Christian Tester 1850–1918 · writer
  • William Tester 1857–1890 · cricketer

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 Tester,
in the records of 8 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 States258 records

258 records of the Tester name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 120
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 52
  • Other U.S. records 86
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Claude E. Tester

    Born 1921 in Virginia. Enlisted 1942 at Abingdon; route man from Washington County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1983, buried at Mountain Home National Cemetery, Tennessee.

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

    Arrived at Boston in 1887 aboard the Pavonia from Liverpool, aged 40; laborer. From Poland, Russia; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record James R. Tester

    U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War. Born 1952, died 2001; buried at Harford Memorial Gardens, Aberdeen, Maryland.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 258 records for Tester in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia121 records

121 records of the Tester name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 75
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 13
  • Other Australian records 33
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Edward Tester

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Mangles, sailing from London in 1835. Native of Horsham, Sussex.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (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 Ann Tester

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Delta, aged 26; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Donald Kenneth Tester

    Geologist of Warrandyte, Victoria; died 1971.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 121 records for Tester in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

United Kingdom25 records

25 records of the Tester name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 19
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 5
  • Stirling Council burial records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Winifred Tester

    Buried in 1974 at Valley Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 66.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Tester

    Buried in 1822 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 63.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. Tester

    Northumberland Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 25 records for Tester in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands9 records

9 records of the Tester name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 4
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 4
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Ludwig Rudolph Tester

    Died 1825 in Rotterdam, aged 20.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Willem Tester

    Married in 1664 in Breda.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Breda (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Pieternella Tester

    In the population register of Vlissingen; born 1822 in Schiedam.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Tester in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Canada6 records

6 records of the Tester name in Canada
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  • Other Canadian records 2
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Alexander James Tester

    Died 1924; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Ernest Tester

    Died in service in 1945.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Harriet Tester

    Married 1825 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 6 records for Tester in Canada.

Counts: Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

New Zealand4 records

4 records of the Tester name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 3
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Allan Walter Tester

    Died 1994, aged 73; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Frederick Tester

    Died 1890, aged 21; buried at Lyttelton Anglican Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Tester

    Died 1903, aged 57; buried at Lyttelton Anglican Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Tester in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Tester 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 Patricia Claire Tester

    Born 1955 in Great Britain; died 1992 in the United Kingdom.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

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).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Tester 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 Daniel Tester

    From Pirmasens, Pfalz. Reported wounded in the Bavarian casualty list of 9 December 1914 (Infantry Regiment No. 22).

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

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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Tester.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Tester 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.

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