Name of the Week: Zachary

 

Origin:

Zachary is the anglicised form of the Biblical Greek Zacharias, itself derived from the Hebrew Zechariah (sometimes Zachariah).  The name was born by a number of Old Testament figures, including a king of Israel, one of the twelve Minor Prophets, and the father of John the Baptist. Zachariah itself derives from the Hebrew words zakar "remember" and Yah, a contraction of 'Yahweh' (God). Often, Zechariah is translated therefore as "Yahweh has remembered."

Usage:

A curious early dialect form in medieval England of Zachary was Akari/Ackary. The Feudal Documents of the county of Durham in 1155 record the Latinised Acharias filius Copsi and also Achari; the Curia Regis rolls of 1199 list a Robert Akari.  The 'Z' seem to have been interchangeable at this time as The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland* notes a Roger, son of Zacharias de Burdun in the Durham Priory Fees of 1217 was "also referred to there as Rogerus filius Acharisiae, Akariae, Acris, Akaris in about 1200." Similarly, the Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources has a citation for Acris in the Probate Court of 1420. Later, by the 16th century, they have records instead for the spellings Zachary and Sachery. Certainly the surnames Ackary, Ackery and Acree derive from this source from the 13th century. The surname Zachary, on the other hand, can only be found from the 16th century. Overall, Zachary in all its forms was rare in Britain, even up until the early 20th century.  Registration records for Zachary as a first name in England & Wales and Scotland:   E&W Scotland 1840s: 1850s: 1860s: 1870s: 1880s: 1890s: 1900s: 1910s: 1920s: 1930s: 1940s: 1950s: 1960s: 1970s: 10 births 8 births 6 births 13 births 4 births 4 births 4 births 0 births 0 births 0 births 2 births 13 births 127 births 456 births -- -- 0 births 4 births 3 births 1 birth 1 birth 0 births 0 births 0 births 0 births 0 births 4 births 16 births Several Victorian Scotsmen were named "Zachary Macaulay (Surname)" presumably in honour of Scottish abolitionist Zachary Macaulay (1768–1838).  Despite being the name of the 12th American president — Zachary Taylor (1784–1850) — Zachary was also uncommon in the US. It only entered the US top 1000 in 1946, but rose steadily, however, and reached the top 100 in 1976, peaked at #12 in 1994, and finally fell out of the top 100 in 2017. Meanwhile, in Britain, Zachary only began to be used in serious numbers in the late 1960s and growing in the 1970s. It was still uncommon however, and would have sat approximately below the top 500 in any given year [based roughly on birth counts in the top 100 of 1974]. Then, in the 90s, a spate of American popular culture came to our shores, featuring young men named "Zack." Popular sitcom Saved by the Bell ran from 1989 to 1993 and featured charming Zachary "Zack" Morris as the principle character. From 1993 to 1996, came the pop culture phenomenon Mighty Morphin Power Rangers with Zachary "Zack" Taylor as the Black Ranger.  Later, Hanson hit the music charts with their #1 hit MMMBop in 1997, the youngest member of whom was Zachary "Zac" Hanson. Between 1996 to 2005, Zachary bobbed just above and below the #100 mark each year in England and Wales.  Its rise through the top 100 started from 2006. It is tempting to point to Zac Efron's fame in the High School Musical series from 2006-2008, but, by the time Zachary hit the top 50 in 2011, many parents choosing the name Zachary were old enough to have grown up with Zack Morris, the Power Rangers, and nostalgic memories of dancing at school discos to MMMBop — which perhaps has more to do with its rise.  Zachary reached a peak in England and Wales in 2013 when it ranked #39 (1780 births). It remained around the same mark for the following three years, dropping down to #45 with 1385 births in 2017. In Scotland, Zachary was also uncommon from 1975 to 1992, rarely having more than 5 births in any given year. It rose intermittently over the 1990s, but only saw a marked rise in 2008 when it reached #174 (30 births).  Zachary peaked at #96 (73 births) in 2014, it's first time in the top 100, but fell back down below afterwards. In 2017, Zachary ranked #116 with 52 births in Scotland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Zachary of Vienne (d.106), bishop of Vienne, martyr and Roman Catholic saint. * Pope Zachary (679–752), Pope of the Catholic Church from 741 to 752. * Zachary Boyd (1585–1653), Scottish religious writer. * Zachary Pearce (1690–1774), Anglican bishop and writer. * Zachary Brooke (1716–88), English clergyman and academic. * Zachary Babington (died 1745), High Sheriff of Staffordshire and barrister. * Zachary Macaulay (1768–1838), Scottish abolitionist. * Zachary Mudge (1770–1852), Royal Navy admiral. * Zachary Taylor (1784–1850), 12th President of the United States. * Zachary Taylor Davis (1872–1946), American architect. * Zachary Nugent Brooke (1883–1946), British medieval historian and writer. * Zachary Lansdowne (1888–1925), US Navy officer and early naval aviator. Contemporary: * Zachary Quinto (born 1977), American actor and producer. * Zachary Bennett (born 1980), Canadian actor and musician. * Zachary Levi (born 1980), American actor. * Zachery Ty Bryan (born 1981), American actor. * Zachary "Zach" Bell (born 1982), Canadian racing cyclist. * Zachary "Zac" Hanson (born 1985), American musician, member of the pop rock band Hanson. * Zachary "Zac" Efron (born 1987), American actor and singer. Literature and Other Media: * Zachary "Zack" Morris, character in the Saved by the Bell series. * Dr. Zachary Smith, character in the 1960s TV show Lost in Space. * Zachary "Zack" Taylor, character in the Power Rangers universe. * Zachary Zatara, character in the DC Comics universe.

Variants:

Zacharias, Zachariah (Biblical), Sachairi (Scottish), Zacharie (French), Sakari (Finnish), Zakaria, Zakariya, Zakariyya (Arabic), Zacarías (Spanish), Zekeriya (Turkish)

Pronunciation:

ZAK-ə-ree [key]

Possible diminutives:

Zack, Zach, Zac, Zak, Zee, Zar

Sibling Names:

Evelyn     Phoebe     Bethany     Penelope     Amelie     Emilia  Dominic     Elijah     Gabriel     Theodore     Sebastian     Daniel

Name Lists:

Popular Biblical

 

If you like Zachary you may also like:   Jude, Elliott, Isaac, Reuben, Noah, Jasper, Lucas, Dexter, Michael, Maxwell

Thanks to Adam for requesting this name.