Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Zachariah

Zachariah is an English form of the Hebrew name Zekharyah meaning “Yahweh remembers”. In the Bible, around the time the Persians conquered the Babylonians in the 6th century B.C., the Jews are allowed to return from exile and rebuild their temple. God realizes that the Israelites need a little motivation and calls upon the prophet Zechariah to help. In the Old Testament Book of Zechariah, the prophet reassures the people of Israel of God’s continued covenant with them, and of His abiding comfort and care. In other words, Zechariah reminds the Israelites that “Yahweh remembers”. According to Zechariah 1:17 thus says the Lord: “[I] will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.” Aside from this Zechariah, there is also a New Testament figure by this name. It belonged to the father of John the Baptist. In this Biblical story, Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth became pregnant very late in life (way past childbearing years). Zechariah didn’t believe it and was thus “struck dumb” as punishment for his disbelief. After the baby John was born, his speech was restored to him, but any relevant remarks he may have made are lost to history. It must not have been too bad, however, because he was named a saint and his feast day is celebrated on November 15th. Zachariah was one of those lesser-known Biblical names which the Puritans adopted at the time of the Reformation.

All About the Baby Name – Zachariah

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME ZACHARIAH

The Three energy is powerful and enthusiastic. These personalities are cheerful, full of self-expression, and often quite emotional. They have an artistic flair and "gift-of-gab" that makes them natural entertainers. Their joyfulness bubbles over, and their infectious exuberance draws a crowd. The Three personality is like a child - forever young and full of delight. They are charming, witty, and generally happy people. The Three personality lives in the "now" and has a spontaneous nature. Threes seem to live with a bright and seemingly unbreakable aura that attracts others to them. In turn, they are deeply loyal and loving to their friends and family. Luck also has a tendency to favor number Threes.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME ZACHARIAH

Even though we have no doubt that Zachariah was in use during the 17th and 18th centuries in America under Puritan influence, the actual naming data doesn’t go that far back. We only have tracking trends from the late 19th century forward. In more modern times, the name Zachariah did not appear on the U.S. popularity charts until 1972. The name Zachary is the most popular of these “Zach” names (nearing the Top 50), while Zachariah is barely used moderately. Watch out, though. These male names ending in “-iah” are becoming more popular. Think: Isaiah, Jeremiah and Josiah for instance. Even obscure ones like Nehemiah, Uriah and Hezekiah show up on the male naming charts. Names like Zachary and Zachariah are destined to be shortened to Zach, so why not use the fancier four-syllable as a birth name? It’s just one of those names you simply can’t help but to ‘remember’.

Quick Facts

ON ZACHARIAH

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

4

RANKING POPULARITY:

398

PRONUNCIATION:

zak-ə-RIE-ə

SIMPLE MEANING:

Yahweh remembers

Characteristics

OF ZACHARIAH

Communicative

Creative

Optimistic

Popular

Social

Dramatic

Happy

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Zachariah

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME ZACHARIAH

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

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME ZACHARIAH

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Zachariah


Popular Songs

ON ZACHARIAH

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


Famous People

NAMED ZACHARIAH

We cannot find any celebrities or significantly famous people with the first name Zachariah.

Children of Famous People

NAMED ZACHARIAH

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

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME ZACHARIAH

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