Zechariah Name Meaning, Origins & History

Zechariah

Pronunciation: ZEK-uh-RYE-uh

Meaning Yahweh has remembered Origin Hebrew Gender Boy
BOYS RANK
#856
TREND
44
GIRLS RANK
#17,255
TREND
3,569

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of boys named Zechariah in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Zechariah

  • More than 11 thousand babies named Zechariah: U.S. records list 11,362 babies given the name Zechariah from 1880 through 2025. Even 18 girls received the name Zechariah - about 1 girl for every 630 boys.

What Does the Name Zechariah Mean?

Zechariah is a Hebrew name meaning "Yahweh has remembered" (customarily rendered "The Lord has remembered"). It comes from the Hebrew זְכַרְיָה (Zekharyah), a shortened form of זְכַרְיָהוּ (Zekharyahu). The first element is the verb zakhar, "to remember," and the second is Yah or Yahu, a short form of the divine name YHWH. The Greek Ζαχαρίας (Zacharias) and Latin Zacharias are transliterations of the Hebrew name, not separate derivations.

Zechariah Name History & Origins

The name appears in the Hebrew Bible in both the shorter form Zekharyah and the longer form Zekharyahu. Its most prominent biblical bearer is the prophet Zechariah, whose oracles are collected in the Book of Zechariah; the book opens by dating his prophecy to the second year of Darius, 520 BCE. Other biblical figures include Zechariah son of Jehoiada, a priest killed in the Temple courtyard (2 Chronicles 24). When the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek, the name became Ζαχαρίας (Zacharias), and the Latin Vulgate kept Zacharias.

In the New Testament, Zechariah is the priest and father of John the Baptist in Luke 1; the Greek text calls him Ζαχαρίας. Older English Bibles such as the King James Version use Zacharias for this New Testament figure and Zechariah for the Old Testament prophet, while many modern translations use Zechariah in both places. The spelling Zechariah follows the Hebrew, while Zacharias follows the Greek. Through Greek, Latin, and later European languages, the same Hebrew name also yielded the English forms Zachary, Zachariah, and Zacharias.

How Popular is the Name Zechariah?

Zechariah recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2015. Its best rank was #636 in 2001.

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.

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 Zechariah 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 have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.

You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.

✦ Zechariah's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Zechariah's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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