Nehmiah
Nehmiah is a masculine Hebrew name meaning "comforted by God".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Nehmiah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nehmiah today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nehmiah births was 2023 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nehmiah. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Nehmiah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2023
5 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,565
Tracked since 2023
Popularity
Nehmiah: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Nehmiah by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Nehmiah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Nehmiah
The name Nehmiah has its origins in the Hebrew language and is derived from the Hebrew word "Nehemiah" (נְחֶמְיָה), which means "comforted by God" or "consolation of the Lord." This name can be traced back to ancient times and has been associated with several important figures throughout history.
One of the most notable individuals bearing this name is Nehemiah, a Jewish leader and author of the Book of Nehemiah in the Hebrew Bible. He was a cupbearer to the Persian King Artaxerxes I and played a crucial role in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in the 5th century BC after the Babylonian exile.
In the Christian tradition, the name Nehmiah is sometimes associated with the biblical figure Nehemiah, who is revered for his leadership and dedication to the Jewish community. Some Christian communities have adopted this name as a way to honor this biblical figure.
Another notable figure with the name Nehmiah is Nehemiah Grew (1641-1712), an English botanist and plant anatomist. He made significant contributions to the study of plant anatomy and is considered one of the founders of the field of plant physiology.
In the 18th century, Nehemiah Dodge (1739-1827) was an American Revolutionary War soldier and government official. He served in the Continental Army and later held various positions in the Massachusetts state government.
Nehmiah Munroe Davis (1822-1905) was an American Baptist minister and educator who played a significant role in establishing several educational institutions, including the University of Richmond and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Moving to more recent times, Nehmiah Persoff (1919-2022) was an American character actor known for his roles in various television shows and films, including some notable appearances in Yiddish theater productions.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Nehmiah throughout history, highlighting its rich cultural and historical significance across different eras and regions.
People
Nehmiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nehmiah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nehmiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nehmiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nehmiah going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Nehmiah a common name?
We classify Nehmiah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nehmiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Nehmiah was 2023, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nehmiah is about 3 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Nehmiah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nehmiah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nehmiah in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Nehmiah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nehmiah in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Nehmiah can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Nehmiah as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.