Zechary
Hebrew name meaning "the Lord has remembered".
Name Census estimates that about 24 living Americans carry the first name Zechary. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Zechary today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Zechary births was 1992 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Zechary. 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 Zechary. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
24
~ 1 in 14,281,431 Americans
Peak year
1992
7 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2002 SSA rank
#12,473
Tracked since 1992
Popularity
Zechary: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Zechary from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 20 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Zechary 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 Zechary 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 Zechary
The name Zechary has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture, tracing back to ancient times. It is derived from the Hebrew name Zekharyahu, which means "the Lord has remembered" or "the Lord remembers." The name is a combination of two Hebrew words, "zakar" meaning "to remember" and "Yah" referring to the Hebrew name for God.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zechary can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible. Zechariah was a Hebrew prophet who lived during the 6th century BC and authored the Book of Zechariah, which is part of the Jewish and Christian scriptures. The name gained significance in religious texts and was widely used among Jewish and Christian communities.
In the Middle Ages, the name Zechary was relatively common in Europe, particularly in regions with strong Christian traditions. One notable figure from this period was Zechary of Besançon, a French bishop who lived in the 6th century AD and played a pivotal role in the establishment of Christianity in the region.
During the Renaissance, the name Zechary continued to be used, though less frequently than in earlier periods. One prominent individual bearing this name was Zechary Ursinus, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1534 to 1583. He played a significant role in the development of the Heidelberg Catechism, a influential document in Protestant Christianity.
In the 19th century, the name Zechary gained popularity in the United States, particularly among Protestant communities. One notable American with this name was Zechary Taylor, the 12th President of the United States, who served from 1849 to 1850.
Another famous bearer of the name Zechary was Zechary Macaulay, an English historian, essayist, and politician who lived from 1800 to 1859. He is best known for his influential work, "The History of England," which helped shape the study of history in the 19th century.
While the name Zechary has its roots in Hebrew culture and religious traditions, it has been adopted and used across various cultures and time periods. Its meaning and significance have evolved over time, but it remains a name steeped in history and cultural heritage.
People
Zechary + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Zechary as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Z
Other first names starting with Z with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Zechary: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Zechary?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 24 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Zechary 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 14,281,431 US residents.
Is Zechary a common name?
We classify Zechary as "Very Rare". It ranks above 43% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 25 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Zechary most popular?
The single biggest year for Zechary was 1992, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Zechary is about 30 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 Zechary in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Zechary a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Zechary 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 Zechary still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Zechary 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 Zechary 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 common is the name Zechary?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.