boy's name
Zakariya
za-ka-REE-ya
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 12,509
England and Wales
#120
2025 births
Zakariya is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God has remembered." It is the Arabic form of Zechariah, and names the prophet who is the father of Yahya, known in Christian tradition as John the Baptist.
- Zakariya is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in England and Wales in 2024, when 434 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in England and Wales.
- Today about 1 in 1,252 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1996.
Zakariya over time
Births per decade in England and Wales, 1990s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 116 |
| 2000s | 988 |
| 2010s | 2,561 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,203 |
What Zakariya means
Zakariya means God has remembered, from zakhar, to remember, and yah, God. The name is a statement about divine faithfulness rather than a description of the child.
Where Zakariya comes from
Zakariya is the Arabic form of the Hebrew Zekharyah, combining zakhar, he remembered, with yah, the shortened divine name. In the Quran Zakariya is a prophet who prays for a son in old age and is granted Yahya, the same figure Christian tradition knows as Zechariah and John the Baptist. The story is told in the chapter named for Maryam, which is why the two names often appear together in families. The spelling varies widely in English — Zakariya, Zakariyya, Zakaria, Zachariah — all rendering the same name.
Zakariya in use
Our data first records Zakariya in 1989 and shows it peaking in 2024, still rising, at 120 in England and Wales. Zachary, the English form of the same Hebrew name, sits at 75 in England and Wales but is falling — the two forms are moving in opposite directions.
How popular is Zakariya?
In 2025, Zakariya was given to 421 babies in England and Wales, ranking #120 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Where Zakariya is used
Figures for England and Wales withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. Data & sources.
How Zakariya is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Zakariyâ | Zakariyâ is a rare spelling of Zakariya, written with a circumflex and recorded about 10 times, mostly in France. | 10 |
Names that peaked alongside Zakariya
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Zakariya also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Zakariya over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Zakariya
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.
Zakariya 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.
- Dutch
- Zakaria
Sibling names for Zakariya
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Zakariya — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Zakariya
What does the name Zakariya mean?
Zakariya means "God has remembered," from the Hebrew zakhar, to remember, and yah, God.
Who was Zakariya in the Quran?
A prophet who prayed for a son in old age and was granted Yahya — the figure Christian tradition knows as John the Baptist.
Is Zakariya the same as Zachariah?
Yes. Zakariya is the Arabic form and Zachariah the English one, both from the Hebrew Zekharyah.
How popular is the name Zakariya?
In 2025, Zakariya was given to 421 babies in England and Wales, ranking #120 that year. It is well established in England and Wales.
Is Zakariya a girl's or a boy's name?
Zakariya is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
When was Zakariya most popular?
Zakariya peaked in 2024, when 434 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Zakariya?
Zakariya is usually shortened to Zak and Zaki.
Is Zakariya a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Zakariya currently ranks #120 in England and Wales. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.