Zeke
Zeke was the 803rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 311 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 610th with 459 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 101 places. More babies were named Zeke in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Ezekiel, 'God strengthens' · Hebrew, English
Say it ZEEK /zik/
- Rank in 2025
- #803 boys, down 128 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 311boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2022459 babies
- Total since 1880
- 8,371babies recorded
What does the name Zeke mean?
Zeke is a pet form of Ezekiel, also used as a full name, as Wiktionary notes. DMNES explains Hebrew Yechezkel as "may God strengthen," from a root meaning to be strong plus El, God. Ezekiel is the priest and prophet of the biblical book named after him (Ezekiel 1:3). Zeke has been used in the US since 1880. Wiktionary also notes that Allied airmen in World War II used Zeke as a code name for the Japanese Zero fighter plane.
יְחֶזְקֵאל (Biblical Hebrew, “may God strengthen”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Ezekiel, Zeek, Hezekiah.
See also: Hebrew names, names that mean God, names that mean strength.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Zeke' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Ezekiel', DMNES (Durham University)
- Ezekiel 1:3, The JPS Tanakh: Gender-Sensitive Edition (via Sefaria), Jewish Publication Society / Sefaria
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Zeke popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #803 | 311 |
| 2020 | #675 | 384 |
| 2010 | #1,052 | 184 |
| 2000 | #1,419 | 88 |
| 1990 | #1,614 | 52 |
| 1980 | #1,694 | 35 |
| 1970 | #1,938 | 22 |
| 1960 | #2,870 | 10 |
| 1950 | #4,195 | 5 |
| 1940 | #2,870 | 8 |
| 1930 | #3,999 | 6 |
| 1920 | #4,987 | 5 |
| 1910 | #1,312 | 8 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | #908 | 6 |
How popular is Zeke, counting every spelling?
Zeke is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #755 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #803 for Zeke on its own. Together these spellings went to 329 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zeke | 311 | #803 | 2,012 |
| Zeek | 18 | #5,393 | 86 |
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 Zeke?
311 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Zeke (0.09 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Zeke 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 27 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Zeke.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Zeke?
About 7,900 people born in the US named Zeke are alive today, with a median age of 10; half are between 5 and 19. That makes Zeke a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Zeke by state
How common Zeke was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Utah (3.0×), Minnesota (2.0×), Iowa (1.8×), Oklahoma (1.7×), Oregon (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in South Carolina, Connecticut, Massachusetts.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Zeke: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Zeke, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Zeke · Sibling names for Zeke
Zeke is also a nickname for Zechariah, Ezekiel, Ezequiel and Zachariah.
Questions about the name Zeke
What does Zeke mean?
Zeke means “pet form of Ezekiel, 'God strengthens'” (Hebrew, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Zeke?
Zeke was the 803rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 311 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 610th with 459 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 101 places. More babies were named Zeke in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Zeke a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Zeke in the US.
Where is Zeke most popular?
In 2021–2025, Zeke was most common in South Dakota (0.75 per 1,000 boys), followed by Utah and Hawaii.