Fun Facts About the Name Zaraiah
- 44 babies named Zaraiah: U.S. records list 44 babies given the name Zaraiah from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Zaraiah Mean?
Zaraiah is a name of Hebrew origin, built from the biblical Hebrew verb zarach (זָרַח), "to rise" or "to shine" - a word used of the sun and of light breaking forth - and Yah (יָהּ), a shortened form of the divine name YHWH. It is best explained as a respelling of the biblical name Zerahiah (זְרַחְיָה), whose meaning is commonly given as "Yahweh has risen" or "Yahweh has shone forth."
The literal sense is that God rises or shines, an image of divine light or of God arising to act, rather than a statement about a person getting up. The shift from the "e" of Zerahiah to the "a" of Zaraiah reflects the kind of vowel respelling common in English-language use of biblical names; it does not point to a separate Hebrew root. As with many names of this type, the customary English meaning is a direct rendering of the Hebrew components rather than a later symbolic reading.
Zaraiah Name History & Origins
The name's biblical ancestor is Zerahiah, which appears in the Hebrew Bible. In the priestly genealogy of 1 Chronicles 6, Zerahiah is listed as a son of Uzzi and the father of Meraioth, in the line of Aaron. In Ezra 7:4, a Zerahiah stands in the priestly ancestry from which the scribe Ezra traces his descent. These are the earliest documented uses of the form.
Zerahiah belongs to the large family of Hebrew theophoric names that join a form of the divine name to a verb or noun - the same pattern found in Zechariah, Hezekiah, and Azariah. When the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek, Latin, and then English, such names were transliterated in a variety of ways, and Zaraiah represents one later respelling of that tradition. In this form it also appears occasionally as a modern given name. Its own development is essentially a spelling history rather than an independent line of descent, and the name remains uncommon.
How Popular is the Name Zaraiah?
Zaraiah has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2025. Its best rank was #10,905 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 | #10,905 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #17,548 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2022 | #13,550 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #18,384 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #12,856 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2015 | #19,062 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #19,788 | 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.
Explore More Lists with Name Zaraiah
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with Z
How the Name Zaraiah Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have aspiration and inspiration, hope and guidance. Since you are intuitive and perceptive and you understand human nature. You have the power to achieve. Diplomacy and discretion make you a good mediator. You are inspired, introspective, and have a good understanding of the human heart. You can have the ability to commercialize your artistic talents successfully. You are often a mystery to others and to yourself. You are always reaching for something higher, without exactly knowing what that "higher" is. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
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.
✦ Zaraiah's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Zaraiah's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.