Boy · Hebrew · New Testament · Biblically inspired

Zachary

ZAK-uh-ree · means “The Lord remembers”

Zachary is an English form of Zechariah, meaning "the Lord remembers." It is not itself the name printed in most Bible translations, but it derives directly from the priest Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, whose long-unanswered prayer God finally remembered in Luke 1.

“But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John."”

The story behind the name

Zachary became one of the most popular American boys' names of the 1980s and 1990s, and though it has cooled since, it remains a familiar, well-loved classic. Its rise tracked a broader wave of biblically rooted names in that era.

The Zechariah behind it was an aging priest married to Elizabeth, both of them righteous but childless, and both of them long past hoping for a son. While burning incense in the temple, an angel told him his prayer had been heard, he and Elizabeth would have a son, John, who would prepare the way for the Messiah (Luke 1:13).

Zechariah doubted, and was left unable to speak until the child was born and named. When his voice returned, his first words were praise. A boy named Zachary carries the promise that God remembers even the prayers we have stopped expecting Him to answer.

Middle names that sing with Zachary

Chosen for rhythm and meanings that speak to each other.

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