 As a surname it is of Germanic origin and uncertain meaning, possible roots being the Middle High German "heister" beech tree indicating residence near a beech tree, or a shared root with the modern German "heißen" to call indicating the profession of herald or town crier.In Ireland, particularly County Mayo, the surname Hester is found as an Anglicized form of the Gaelic "Ó hOistir" descendant of Oistir.Given name