Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Nehemiah

Nehemiah is a masculine personal name of ancient Hebrew and Biblical origin which means ‘comforted by Yahweh’. There is a book in the Old Testament (or Hebrew Bible) named after this Jewish leader which can be found between the books of Ezra and Ruth. The book of Nehemiah takes place in the 5th century BC well after the Persians defeated the Babylonians and the Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem from exile under Persian rule. Nehemiah – who happens to have a position of importance in the Persian king’s court – asked to return to Jerusalem to visit his people and to check things out. Apparently, even though the Jews had returned from exile for almost 100 years, they still hadn’t bothered with the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls. Not only that, but they had almost completely lost their connection with biblical Hebrew, their ancestral heritage and the Law of Moses. Nehemiah to the rescue! He basically coordinated the Jews around an efficient reconstruction of their walls (completed in a mere 52 days!). He then coordinated a massive re-education of the Law of Moses. For many of the former exiles, they were hearing this word of God for the first time. Many of the people wept once they realized they had abandoned their heritage. Nehemiah cleansed the people and saved the day, repeatedly praying to the Lord: “Remember me, O my God, for good.” If it hadn’t been for Nehemiah’s leadership, the Jews came dangerously close to losing their entire heritage. He ‘comforted’ them with the word of Yahweh. Nehemiah has mainly been considered a largely Jewish name, although in recent years the name has spread to a wider audience.

All About the Baby Name – Nehemiah

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME NEHEMIAH

The number Nine personality represents the completion or ending of the cycle, and a need for perfection. This is the personality that moves from "self" to a greater understanding and compassion for the human condition and the world order. They want to make the world a better place. Nines are capable of great spiritual and humanitarian achievements. They are courageous and fearless, able to fight great battles on behalf of worthy causes. These personalities will not tolerate injustice. They are compassionate people with a strong sensitivity to others. They are able to both educate and inspire. Friendships and relationships are the lifeblood to the Nine, and they place a high value on love and affection. Nines are often exceptionally gifted artistically, and they have a keen imagination and enterprising mind.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME NEHEMIAH

This lesser-known Biblical name first appeared on the male naming charts in 1998. Nehemiah has made some pretty impressive jumps up the charts in a little more than 10 years (over 600 positions, in fact). It is still a name with only moderate usage, and given its exotic nature, we don’t expect to see it get that much more popular. It is certainly following a current trend of renewed interest in the more exotic Biblical names with the “-iah” suffix (think: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Josiah, Zachariah, Hezekiah, for example). The name is largely associated with the Jews, but it has also been adopted by the more fundamentalist Christians and nonconformists. We picture Nehemiah as an ancient version of the strong and strapping construction worker who is, of course, the foreman of the site.

Quick Facts

ON NEHEMIAH

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

Hebrew

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

4

RANKING POPULARITY:

346

PRONUNCIATION:

nee-hə-MIE-ə

SIMPLE MEANING:

Comforted by Yahweh

Characteristics

OF NEHEMIAH

Multi-talented

Intuitive

Oneness

Idealistic

Philanthropy

Independent

Perfection

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Nehemiah

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME NEHEMIAH

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

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME NEHEMIAH

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Nehemiah


Popular Songs

ON NEHEMIAH

Nehemiah
a song by Hope of the States

Famous People

NAMED NEHEMIAH

Nehemiah Grew (botanist)
Rabbi Nehemiah (a Rabbi who lived circa 150 AD)

Children of Famous People

NAMED NEHEMIAH

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

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME NEHEMIAH

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