Zachary
Zachary was the 216th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,646 babies. Its best year was 1994, when it ranked 12th; the most babies were born in 1993 (25,538). Over the last ten years it has moved down 128 places. More babies were named Zachary in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Meaning God has remembered · Hebrew
Say it ZAK-uh-ree /ˈzækəri/
- Rank in 2025
- #216 boys, down 81 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,646boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 199325,538 babies
- Total since 1880
- 553,281babies recorded
What does the name Zachary mean?
Zachary is the English form of Zechariah or Zacharias, from Hebrew Zekharyah, which DMNES and Wiktionary gloss 'God (Yahweh) has remembered'. In the Bible Zechariah is a prophet with his own book, and in the New Testament Zechariah is the father of John the Baptist. DMNES also lists an 8th-century pope and finds the name in the Wycliffite Bible as Sacarie. Zach and Zack are its short forms, and Zachariah and Zechariah are fuller biblical spellings.
זְכַרְיָה (Biblical Hebrew, “Zekharyah”)זכר (Hebrew, “to remember”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Zach, Zack, Zechariah, Zachariah, Zacarías, Zakariya.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Zachary', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Hebrew Bible, Zechariah 1:1, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria; verse reference and facts only, not quoted
- Wiktionary, entry 'Zachary', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Zachary
The usual nicknames for Zachary are Zach, Zack and Zac. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Zachary in the last five years, 7 were named Zack, against 1 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zach · also for Zechariah, Zachariah | Traditional | #2,515 | 308 |
| Zack · also for Zechariah, Zachariah | Traditional | #1,435 | 702 |
| Zac | Modern | #3,237 | 221 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Zacharys go by each one.
Zachary popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,529 since 1960.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #216 | 1,646 |
| 2020 | #135 | 2,729 |
| 2010 | #61 | 7,184 |
| 2000 | #15 | 19,852 |
| 1990 | #22 | 20,430 |
| 1980 | #72 | 4,245 |
| 1970 | #342 | 557 |
| 1960 | #432 | 346 |
| 1950 | #554 | 149 |
| 1940 | #1,572 | 20 |
| 1930 | #1,963 | 16 |
| 1920 | #2,129 | 16 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | #1,309 | 6 |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Zachary, counting every spelling?
Zachary is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #218 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #216 for Zachary on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,778 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zachary | 1,646 | #216 | 10,479 |
| Zachery | 41 | #3,035 | 248 |
| Zakhari | 44 | #2,881 | 217 |
| Zackery | 33 | #3,510 | 206 |
| Zachari | 9 | #8,893 | 60 |
| Zacharie | 5 | #13,873 | 32 |
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 Zachary?
1,646 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Zachary (0.46 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Zachary 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 5 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Zachary.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Zachary?
About 531,500 people born in the US named Zachary are alive today, with a median age of 30; half are between 23 and 36. That makes Zachary 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.
Zachary by state
How common Zachary was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Hampshire (2.4×), Delaware (2.3×), Connecticut (2.3×), Hawaii (2.2×), New Jersey (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in North Dakota, Vermont, Montana.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Zachary: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Zachary, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Zachary · Sibling names for Zachary
Questions about the name Zachary
What does Zachary mean?
Zachary means “God has remembered” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Zachary?
Zachary was the 216th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,646 babies. Its best year was 1994, when it ranked 12th; the most babies were born in 1993 (25,538). Over the last ten years it has moved down 128 places. More babies were named Zachary in the 1990s than in any other decade.
Is Zachary a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Zachary in the US.
Where is Zachary most popular?
In 2021–2025, Zachary was most common in New Hampshire (2.93 per 1,000 boys), followed by Delaware and Connecticut.