Boy · #215 in 2026

Zachary

Zachary is a male given name, a variant of Zechariah – the name of several biblical characters.

Current Rank
#215
Peak Rank
#12 (1993)
Total Babies
554K
5-Yr Trend
-39%
1960
First Year
2022
Last Year
1988
Peak Year
#1354
Peak Rank
2K
Total Count
50
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Zachary

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Zachary is a male given name, a variant of Zechariah – the name of several biblical characters.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Zachary

Zachary first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1900, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1993, when 25,537 Zacharys were born — ranking #15 that year. As of 2026, Zachary ranks #215 for baby boys with 1,668 births, falling sharply (-39%). In total, more than 554K Zacharys have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1900s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Notable people named Zachary

A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.

  • Pope Zachary (679–752), pope of the Catholic Church from 741 to 752
  • Zachary of Vienne (died 106), bishop of Vienne (France), martyr and Roman Catholic saint
  • Zachary Abel (born 1980), American actor
  • Zachary Aston-Reese (born 1994), American ice hockey player
  • Zachary Babington (1690–1745), High Sheriff of Staffordshire and barrister
  • Zak Bagans (born 1977), American television host, author, documentary filmmaker and paranormal investigator
  • Zachary James Baker, stage name Zacky Vengeance , rhythm guitarist for American rock band Avenged Sevenfold
  • Zachary Bayly (military officer) (1841–1916), South African colonial military commander

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Names that sound like Zachary

Phonetically similar names — useful when Zachary is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Zachary

What does the name Zachary mean?
Zachary is a male given name, a variant of Zechariah – the name of several biblical characters.
How popular is Zachary in 2026?
In 2026, Zachary ranks #215 among boys' names in the U.S., with 1,668 babies given the name that year.
When was Zachary most popular?
Zachary reached its peak popularity in 1993, ranking #12 that year with 25,537 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Zachary most popular?
Zachary has historically been most popular in North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Zachary.
Is Zachary a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Zachary is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.
What names go well with Zachary?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Zachary include Paul, Harold, Ezra. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Zachary

Zachary is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1900 and has accumulated 554K births in the dataset. Zachary's peak popularity came in 1993 when it ranked #12. Use the chart and map above to compare Zachary's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.