Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Hezekiah

Hezekiah is a name borne from the Bible as one of the kings of Judah who reigned for 29 years between 716 and 687 B.C. It’s Hebrew in origin (חִזְקִיָהוּ) and means “Yahweh strengthens”. As with most of the Biblical Hebrew names of the Old Testament, Hezekiah’s etymological meaning matches closely to the significance of his story. Hezekiah came to power in Judah right around the time of Israel’s fall to the Assyrians. For those of you who need a Biblical refresher course, Judah was the kingdom to the south and Israel was the kingdom to the north. Inhabitants of both kingdoms were descendents of the original Twelve Tribes of Israel (Jacob). The division of Israel into two kingdoms was a result of revolting northern tribes who wouldn’t accept Solomon’s son Rehoboam as their successor king. Due to ongoing and repeated infractions against His laws and commands, God basically permitted the defeat of the Kingdom of Israel at the hand of their enemy the Assyrians. Israel’s inhabitants were exiled from their Promised Land never to be heard from again (known as the “Ten Lost Tribes of Israel”). So what does this all have to do with Hezekiah, you ask? Well, King Hezekiah witnessed this saga of disobedience and God’s resulting abandonment of Israel and figured he’s better get his own kingdom (Judah) on the straight and narrow. He quickly went about destroying all idols and sites of worship not related to the Hebrew God. Even the Bible says Hezekiah “did all that was right in the eyes of the Lord” (2 Kings 18:3). In the meantime, the Assyrians were smarting from their victory over Israel and were now licking their lips as they looked south at Judah. They wanted the ultimate prize of conquering Jerusalem. The Assyrian king Sennacherib demanded that Hezekiah just surrender and save them both the trouble. Yet Hezekiah stood his ground after the prophet Isaiah assured him that God has plans for their pesky enemy. The Lord sent an angel to the Assyrian army camp the night before battle. In rather “un-angelic”-like behavior, the angel killed 185,000 Assyrian men forcing Sennacherib to pack his bags and go home. Yahweh obviously supplied Hezekiah with ample strength as the Hebrew etymology of his name suggests. He maintained faithfulness to his one God and stood bravely in the face of his adversaries. His name is synonymous with a strong devotion to God – faithful among the faithless. Hezekiah has remained an important name among Jewish people, but it was also lightly resurrected by the Puritans after the Reformation. Regardless of his Biblical importance, Hezekiah has never been a commonly used boy’s name.

All About the Baby Name – Hezekiah

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME HEZEKIAH

The number one personality is a leader - strong and competitive. They are willing to initiate action and take risks. One personalities work hard toward their endeavors and have the ability to apply their creative and innovative thinking skills with strong determination. They believe in their ability to succeed and are too stubborn to be hindered by obstacles. Ones meet obstacles head-on with such mental vigor and energy that you better step aside. They resent taking orders, so don't try telling them what to do either. This is an intensely active personality, but they are also known as starters rather than finishers. They have a propensity to become bored and will move quickly to the next project if not properly challenged.  They are the ones to think up and put into action new and brilliant ideas, but they are not the ones to stick around and manage them. This personality has an enthusiastic and pioneering spirit. They are distinctly original.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME HEZEKIAH

As you can see from the chart below, Hezekiah is basically acting like bookends on the graph in the past 100+ years. The name was used lightly in the late 19th century and first few years of the 20th and then it basically disappeared from circulation between 1915 and 2004. That’s a long hiatus. Hezekiah’s return to the charts was likely prompted by a renewed interest in exotic or lesser known Biblical names. Especially the male names ending in “-iah” like Uriah, Jedidiah and Nehemiah for instance. Even with his minor reappearance on the charts in recent years, Hezekiah is still a rare choice for baby boys. Its appeal is likely restricted to Jewish-Americans and hardcore Christians looking for an original yet substantial Biblical name. We like the potential nicknames “Hez” or “Hezzy”.

Quick Facts

ON HEZEKIAH

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

Hebrew

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

4

RANKING POPULARITY:

889

PRONUNCIATION:

hez-ə-KIE-ə

SIMPLE MEANING:

Yahweh strengthens

Characteristics

OF HEZEKIAH

Independent

Individualistic

Ambitious

Strong-willed

Inventive

Successful

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Hezekiah

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME HEZEKIAH

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Hezekiah

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME HEZEKIAH

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Hezekiah


Popular Songs

ON HEZEKIAH

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Hezekiah


Famous People

NAMED HEZEKIAH

Hezekiah Walker (gospel musician)
Hezekiah da Silva (Jewish author)
Hezekiah S. Bundy (19th century American politician)
Hezekiah Bradley Smith (19th century American politician)

Children of Famous People

NAMED HEZEKIAH

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Hezekiah

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME HEZEKIAH

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Hezekiah