boys' name ★ peaked 2010

Nehemiah

Meaning consolation of Yahweh Gender Boy · 3% girls Rank 2025 #429 Trend → Stable

From Hebrew נְחֶמְיָה (“consolation of Yahweh”).

Rank 2025
#429
among boys · ↓3 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
768
named Nehemiah · +1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,299
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2010
969 babies
All-time total
22,439
#799 all-time among boys
First recorded
1886
in Social Security records

Nehemiah popularity over time

22,439 babies have been named Nehemiah since 1886, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 7 7 1 – #817
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 95 95 10 – #1,492
1920s – 182 182 18 +92% #1,488
1930s – 128 128 13 -30% #1,632
1940s – 103 103 10 -20% #1,796
1950s – 146 146 15 +42% #1,621
1960s – 132 132 13 -10% #1,685
1970s – 235 235 24 +78% #1,150
1980s – 705 705 71 +200% #1,012
1990s 21 1,137 1,158 116 +64% #827
2000s 202 5,516 5,718 572 +394% #358
2010s 266 8,926 9,192 919 +61% #336
2020s (to 2025) 146 4,492 4,638 773 -16% #377

Where Nehemiah is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 735 0.43 #434
2027 728 0.43 #435
2028 722 0.42 #438
2029 717 0.42 #440
2030 713 0.42 #442

Where Nehemiah is most popular

Boys named Nehemiah per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.425 per 1,000. Strongest in New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Nehemiah born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Mexico 52 1.58 +271%
Hawaii 19 1.22 +188%
Alaska 10 0.840 +98%
Oklahoma 66 0.746 +76%
Georgia 174 0.687 +62%
Maryland 81 0.679 +60%
South Carolina 70 0.677 +59%
Washington 105 0.642 +51%
Colorado 81 0.628 +48%
Virginia 119 0.627 +48%
North Carolina 153 0.599 +41%
Mississippi 33 0.581 +37%
Texas 506 0.574 +35%
Florida 259 0.547 +29%
Tennessee 97 0.537 +26%
Indiana 84 0.524 +23%
Nevada 28 0.491 +16%
Louisiana 50 0.489 +15%
Connecticut 33 0.487 +15%
Arizona 78 0.477 +12%
Alabama 52 0.476 +12%
Michigan 97 0.474 +11%
Ohio 123 0.464 +9%
California 403 0.441 ≈ national
Missouri 58 0.418 ≈ national
Massachusetts 56 0.407 ≈ national
Illinois 103 0.403 -5%
Pennsylvania 103 0.388 -9%
New Jersey 78 0.387 -9%
Minnesota 44 0.359 -16%
Delaware 5 0.330 -22%
Kentucky 31 0.309 -27%
Kansas 21 0.306 -28%
Oregon 23 0.303 -29%
New York 126 0.291 -32%
Wisconsin 34 0.287 -32%
Iowa 19 0.276 -35%
Arkansas 17 0.269 -37%
Idaho 10 0.244 -43%
West Virginia 6 0.184 -57%
District of Columbia – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Nehemiah

Nehemiah is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #429 in 2025 with 743 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1886, 22,439 American babies have been named Nehemiah. Its peak came in 2010, when 969 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Nehemiah stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Nehemiah?

The median living Nehemiah is about 12 years old; half are between 6 and 18. An estimated 22 thousand people named Nehemiah are alive in the United States today.

median 12 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Nehemiah year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 25 #5,189 743 #429
2024 15 #7,496 742 #426
2023 20 #6,106 725 #430
2022 35 #4,178 697 #447
2021 29 #4,702 765 #406
2020 22 #5,611 820 #377
2019 19 #6,356 863 #370
2018 24 #5,415 803 #396
2017 28 #4,895 895 #370
2016 24 #5,563 930 #358
2015 21 #6,188 909 #362
2014 33 #4,425 889 #360
2013 29 #4,849 931 #343
2012 27 #5,209 906 #342
2011 25 #5,496 867 #348
2010 36 #4,160 933 #336
2009 20 #6,742 853 #360
2008 23 #6,089 871 #358
2007 15 #8,415 876 #362
2006 25 #5,504 826 #360
2005 22 #5,738 545 #466
2004 21 #5,909 385 #580
2003 27 #4,779 355 #600
2002 15 #7,339 288 #654
2001 21 #5,506 263 #687
2000 13 #7,911 254 #696
1995 – – 113 #1,059
1990 – – 71 #1,324
1985 – – 75 #1,076
1980 – – 59 #1,198
1975 – – 25 #1,926
1970 – – 16 #2,376
1965 – – 6 #3,809
1960 – – 14 #2,282
1955 – – 17 #1,952
1950 – – 11 #2,399
1945 – – 9 #2,524
1940 – – 9 #2,620
1935 – – 5 #4,008
1930 – – 11 #2,561
1925 – – 20 #1,783
1920 – – 26 #1,488
1915 – – 12 #2,260
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Nehemiah

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Nehemiah Persoff Nehemiah Persoff American actor and painter (1919–2022) Contemporary
  2. 2 Nehemiah Nehemiah Central figure of the biblical Book of Nehemiah b. -490 · Antiquity
  3. 3 Nehemiah Grew Nehemiah Grew English plant anatomist and physiologist (1641–1712) 17th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Nehemiah, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Nehemiah?

The median living Nehemiah is about 12 years old. Half of all living Nehemiahs are between 6 and 18 years old.

How many people named Nehemiah are alive today?

An estimated 22 thousand people named Nehemiah are alive in the United States, based on 22,439 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Nehemiah mean?

From Hebrew נְחֶמְיָה (“consolation of Yahweh”).

How popular is the name Nehemiah in 2025?

Nehemiah ranked #429 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 743 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Nehemiah?

22,439 babies have been named Nehemiah in the United States since 1886, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Nehemiah most popular?

Nehemiah peaked in 2010, when 969 newborns received the name.

Is Nehemiah a boy or girl name?

Nehemiah is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 97% of babies with the name.

Is the name Nehemiah rising or falling?

Nehemiah has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Nehemiah become more popular?

Nehemiah looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 713 boys named Nehemiah in 2030, ranking around #442. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Nehemiah?

Well-known people named Nehemiah include Nehemiah Persoff (actor), Nehemiah (religious figure), Nehemiah Grew (biologist).

Names like Nehemiah

Names that sound and feel close to Nehemiah: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Nehemiah with similar names → More names starting with N →