boy's name
Zachary
ZAK-a-ree
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 624,821
the United States
#216
2025 births
Zachary is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "the Lord has remembered." It is the English form of Zechariah, from zakhar, to remember, and el or yah for God.
- Zachary is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 1993, when 25,591 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,014 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1900.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Zachary over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 6 |
| 1910s | 109 |
| 1920s | 168 |
| 1930s | 142 |
| 1940s | 404 |
| 1950s | 2,169 |
| 1960s | 3,488 |
| 1970s | 19,161 |
| 1980s | 102,435 |
| 1990s | 225,757 |
| 2000s | 135,019 |
| 2010s | 51,210 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 13,213 |
What Zachary means
Zachary means God has remembered — a statement about divine faithfulness rather than a description of the child. The Hebrew is a complete sentence compressed into a name, which is common in the Old Testament.
Where Zachary comes from
Zachary comes from the Hebrew Zekharyah, combining zakhar, he remembered, with yah, a short form of the divine name. Zechariah is one of the twelve minor prophets, and a separate Zechariah is the father of John the Baptist in Luke, struck mute until the child is named. The Greek rendering Zacharias produced the medieval English Zachary, which the Puritans adopted. Zachary Taylor, president in 1849, kept it current in America through a period when it had faded in Britain.
Zachary in use
Our data shows Zachary falling rather than rising, peaking in 1993, at 75 in England and Wales. It first appears in our records in 1900. Its 1993 peak places it with Jordan, Ryan and Connor — a cohort of boys' names that rose and fell together within about fifteen years.
How popular is Zachary?
In 2025, Zachary was given to 1,646 babies in the United States, ranking #216 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Zachary is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Zachary
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Zachary also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Zachary over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
4 nicknames for Zachary
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Zachary in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Greek
- Zacharias
Sibling names for Zachary
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Zachary — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Zachary
What does the name Zachary mean?
Zachary means "the Lord has remembered," from the Hebrew zakhar, to remember, and yah, God.
Who was Zechariah in the Bible?
Both a minor prophet and, separately, the father of John the Baptist, who was struck mute until the child was named.
Is Zachary still popular?
It is past its peak. Our data shows it peaking in 1993 and falling since, alongside Jordan, Ryan and Connor.
Is Zachary a girl's or a boy's name?
Zachary is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Zachary?
Zachary has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Zachary?
Zachary is usually shortened to Zach, Zack, Zac and Zee.
Is Zachary a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Zachary currently ranks #75 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.