Nehemiah
Nehemiah was the 429th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 743 babies. Its best year was 2010, when it ranked 336th with 933 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 67 places. More babies were named Nehemiah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Yahweh comforts · Hebrew
Say it nee-uh-MY-uh /ˌniəˈmaɪə/
- Rank in 2025
- #429 boys, down 52 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 743boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2010933 babies
- Total since 1880
- 22,439babies recorded
What does the name Nehemiah mean?
Nehemiah is a Hebrew name, Nechemyah, from nacham, "to comfort", and Yah, a short form of God's name: "Yahweh comforts" (Wiktionary gives "consolation of Yahweh"). The biblical Nehemiah was a governor of Judea who rebuilt Jerusalem's walls, and a book of the Bible bears his name (Nehemiah 1:1). The Random House dictionary records the same figure.
נְחֶמְיָה (Biblical Hebrew, “Yahweh comforts”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Nechemya, Nemiah.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Nehemiah', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Hebrew Bible / Tanakh, Nehemiah 1.1, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Nehemiah', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Nehemiah popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 635 since 1997, 25 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #429 | 743 |
| 2020 | #377 | 820 |
| 2010 | #336 | 933 |
| 2000 | #696 | 254 |
| 1990 | #1,324 | 71 |
| 1980 | #1,198 | 59 |
| 1970 | #2,376 | 16 |
| 1960 | #2,282 | 14 |
| 1950 | #2,399 | 11 |
| 1940 | #2,620 | 9 |
| 1930 | #2,561 | 11 |
| 1920 | #1,488 | 26 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Nehemiah, counting every spelling?
Nehemiah is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #430 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #429 for Nehemiah on its own. Together these spellings went to 749 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nehemiah | 743 | #429 | 3,672 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Nehemiah?
743 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Nehemiah (0.21 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Nehemiah born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Nehemiah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Nehemiah?
About 21,000 people born in the US named Nehemiah are alive today, with a median age of 13; half are between 7 and 19. That makes Nehemiah mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Nehemiah by state
How common Nehemiah was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (3.7×), Oklahoma (1.8×), Georgia (1.6×), Maryland (1.6×), South Carolina (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in West Virginia, Idaho, Arkansas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Nehemiah: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Nehemiah, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Nehemiah · Sibling names for Nehemiah
Questions about the name Nehemiah
What does Nehemiah mean?
Nehemiah means “Yahweh comforts” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Nehemiah?
Nehemiah was the 429th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 743 babies. Its best year was 2010, when it ranked 336th with 933 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 67 places. More babies were named Nehemiah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Nehemiah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Nehemiah in the US.
Where is Nehemiah most popular?
In 2021–2025, Nehemiah was most common in New Mexico (1.58 per 1,000 boys), followed by Hawaii and Alaska.