Fun Facts About the Name Neriah
- More than 3 thousand babies named Neriah: U.S. records list 3,742 babies given the name Neriah from 1880 through 2025. Even 97 boys received the name Neriah - about 1 boy for every 38 girls.
What Does the Name Neriah Mean?
Neriah is a Hebrew name meaning "Yahweh is my lamp." It is built from two elements: ner (נֵר), the Hebrew noun for a lamp or light, and Yah (יָהּ), a shortened form of the divine name of Israel's God. The biblical spelling is Neriyyahu (נֵרִיָּהוּ), in which the first element takes the possessive ending -i ("my") and the divine element appears in its longer form -yahu. Read literally, the name says "my lamp is Yah."
The familiar English rendering "the Lord is my light" is a customary paraphrase rather than a literal translation: the Hebrew noun means "lamp," and the second element is a personal divine name, not the title "Lord."
Neriah Name History & Origins
In the Hebrew Bible, Neriah is the father of Baruch, the scribe who wrote down the prophecies of Jeremiah, and of Seraiah, an official who carried a scroll of Jeremiah's words to Babylon (Jeremiah 51:59). Baruch is repeatedly identified as "Baruch son of Neriah" (Jeremiah 32:12; 36:4), and the same genealogy opens the deuterocanonical Book of Baruch. The family belonged to the scribal class in Judah in the late seventh and early sixth centuries BCE.
Neriah follows a common Judean naming pattern of that era, in which a personal or family word was joined to a short form of the divine name. In the Bible the name is borne only by Baruch's father; no prophet or king carries it.
In modern Hebrew the name is written נֵרִיָּה and is sometimes shortened to Nerya; English spellings include Neriah, Neriyah, and Neria. It is used for both boys and girls in current English-speaking use. It is not related to the Israeli city name Nahariya, which comes from a different root, nahar, "river."
How Popular is the Name Neriah?
Neriah recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2025. Its best rank was #762 in 2025.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #762 | 356 | 0.0221% |
| 2024 | #830 | 327 | 0.0203% |
| 2023 | #991 | 258 | 0.0161% |
| 2022 | #995 | 264 | 0.0161% |
| 2021 | #1,689 | 123 | 0.0075% |
| 2020 | #1,600 | 131 | 0.0081% |
| 2019 | #1,886 | 107 | 0.0064% |
| 2018 | #2,128 | 90 | 0.0053% |
| 2017 | #2,083 | 94 | 0.0054% |
| 2016 | #1,290 | 187 | 0.0106% |
| 2015 | #948 | 287 | 0.0161% |
| 2014 | #936 | 289 | 0.0162% |
| 2013 | #946 | 268 | 0.0153% |
| 2012 | #1,344 | 175 | 0.0099% |
| 2011 | #1,629 | 133 | 0.0076% |
| 2010 | #1,971 | 102 | 0.0057% |
| 2009 | #2,331 | 84 | 0.0046% |
| 2008 | #3,362 | 50 | 0.0026% |
| 2007 | #3,117 | 56 | 0.0029% |
| 2006 | #4,918 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 2005 | #5,739 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2004 | #5,335 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2003 | #3,714 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2002 | #4,248 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 2001 | #5,128 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2000 | #6,718 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1999 | #6,752 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1998 | #6,979 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1997 | #5,161 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1996 | #6,289 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1995 | #9,325 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #9,368 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,072 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2024 | #7,569 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #10,471 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #7,118 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #13,491 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #13,480 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #10,482 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #11,772 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #11,725 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #11,683 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #7,929 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #13,676 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #13,892 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Neriah Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a vivid imagination who can bring inspired messages to the world. You like to enjoy the pleasures of life, and when self is overcome, you can rise to the heights. You have an ability to avoid trouble - that is why you often fails to learn from experiences. You are restless, sociable people-oriented, a lover of change, and a seeker of adventure and new thrills. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Neriah's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Neriah's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.