Shmaryahu
A Hebrew masculine name meaning "the Lord remembers/has remembered".
Name Census estimates that about 12 living Americans carry the first name Shmaryahu. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shmaryahu today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shmaryahu births was 2022 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shmaryahu. 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 Shmaryahu. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
12
~ 1 in 28,562,862 Americans
Peak year
2022
7 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2022 SSA rank
#10,676
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Shmaryahu: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Shmaryahu from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 7 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Shmaryahu 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 Shmaryahu during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Shmaryahu
The name Shmaryahu is a Hebrew name with roots dating back to ancient times in the Middle East. It is a combination of two words: "Shomer" meaning "guardian" or "watchman" and "Yahu" which is a shortened form of the Hebrew name for God, "Yahweh." Together, the name Shmaryahu can be interpreted to mean "God is my guardian" or "guarded by God."
This name is found in the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament. One notable bearer of this name was Shmaryahu, the son of Shahar, who is mentioned in 1 Chronicles 8:26. This biblical reference suggests that the name was in use among the ancient Israelites during the time when the books of the Hebrew Bible were written, which spans from around the 13th to the 2nd century BCE.
The earliest recorded use of the name Shmaryahu outside of religious texts can be traced back to the 11th century CE. During this time, a prominent Jewish scholar and philosopher named Shmaryahu ben Eliyahu al-Iqriti lived in present-day Tunisia. He was known for his contributions to the study of Hebrew grammar and linguistics.
Another notable figure in history with the name Shmaryahu was Shmaryahu ben Yosef, a 13th-century rabbi and scholar from Spain. He was known for his work on Jewish law and his commentaries on the Talmud, a central text of rabbinic Judaism.
In the 16th century, there was a Jewish scholar and mathematician named Shmaryahu ben Eliyahu al-Crispi, who lived in Italy. He was known for his contributions to the study of mathematics and astronomy, as well as his writings on Jewish philosophy.
Another significant bearer of the name Shmaryahu was Shmaryahu Levin, a 19th-century rabbi and scholar from Lithuania. He was a prominent figure in the Lithuanian Jewish community and was known for his expertise in Talmudic studies and Jewish law.
While the name Shmaryahu has deep historical roots and has been borne by notable figures throughout Jewish history, it is relatively uncommon in modern times. However, its meaning and connection to the Hebrew Bible and Jewish tradition continue to hold significance for those who choose to carry this name.
People
Shmaryahu + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shmaryahu as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Shmaryahu: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shmaryahu?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shmaryahu 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 28,562,862 US residents.
Is Shmaryahu a common name?
We classify Shmaryahu as "Very Rare". It ranks above 32.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shmaryahu most popular?
The single biggest year for Shmaryahu was 2022, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shmaryahu is about 6 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 Shmaryahu in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shmaryahu a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shmaryahu 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 Shmaryahu still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shmaryahu 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 Shmaryahu 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 Shmaryahu as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.