Head to head · Boys' names
Asa vs Azariah
#483 vs #472 in 2025
Azariah is a whisker ahead (#472 vs #483 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Azariah is climbing the charts fast, Asa is holding its place on the charts.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
The tape is even: Asa and Azariah each lead 3 measures of 6.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Asa #224, Azariah — — Asa higher
- 1890s: Asa #280, Azariah — — Asa higher
- 1900s: Asa #464, Azariah — — Asa higher
- 1910s: Asa #583, Azariah — — Asa higher
- 1920s: Asa #638, Azariah — — Asa higher
- 1930s: Asa #772, Azariah — — Asa higher
- 1940s: Asa #922, Azariah — — Asa higher
- 1950s: Asa #1133, Azariah — — Asa higher
- 1960s: Asa #1205, Azariah — — Asa higher
- 1970s: Asa #1040, Azariah #5379 — Asa higher
- 1980s: Asa #769, Azariah #5281 — Asa higher
- 1990s: Asa #797, Azariah #3766 — Asa higher
- 2000s: Asa #637, Azariah #1942 — Asa higher
- 2010s: Asa #531, Azariah #919 — Asa higher
- 2020s: Asa #486, Azariah #584 — Asa higher
Asa stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Asa | Azariah |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #224 | — |
| 1890s | #280 | — |
| 1900s | #464 | — |
| 1910s | #583 | — |
| 1920s | #638 | — |
| 1930s | #772 | — |
| 1940s | #922 | — |
| 1950s | #1133 | — |
| 1960s | #1205 | — |
| 1970s | #1040 | #5379 |
| 1980s | #769 | #5281 |
| 1990s | #797 | #3766 |
| 2000s | #637 | #1942 |
| 2010s | #531 | #919 |
| 2020s | #486 | #584 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Asa
healer, physician
The Hebrew name is read from a root meaning to heal. Worth knowing: several identical-looking names elsewhere have nothing to do with this one — Japanese Asa is written with characters for morning or hemp, and Scandinavian Åsa comes from Old Norse. Same three letters, separate roads.
Hebrew אָסָא (Asa) → Greek Ἀσά → Latin Asa → English Asa
How it traveled
The name begins in Hebrew, borne in the Bible by a king of Judah, and it passed into Greek and Latin scripture without being reshaped — a rare thing for a biblical name, most of which came out the other end sounding different. The Protestant Reformation put Old Testament names back into English mouths, and Asa was among those the Puritans favored; it traveled with them to colonial New England and settled into the naming stock of American families, particularly in the nineteenth century.
Azariah
Yahweh has helped
From Hebrew ʿazar, "to help," joined to the divine name Yah. The same root sits inside Ezra and Azriel.
ʿĂzaryāh (Hebrew) → Azarias (Greek) → Azarias (Latin) → Azariah (English)
How it traveled
The name comes from Hebrew ʿĂzaryāh and appears repeatedly in the Hebrew Bible, carried by kings, priests and scribes — among them the young man in the book of Daniel renamed Abednego in Babylon. Greek translators wrote it Azarias, Latin kept that form, and English Bible translators restored the Hebrew ending as -iah, which is the spelling used today.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Asa
AY-suh
Two syllables. AY-suh is the settled English pronunciation for the biblical name. AH-suh is what you will hear for the unrelated Japanese and Scandinavian names spelled the same way, so an occasional correction comes with the territory.
- Ace — Informal, playground-level; also used on its own as a given name in the US.
Azariah
az-uh-RYE-uh
That is the standard English reading, stress on the third syllable. In Hebrew and in most other languages it is closer to ah-zar-YAH, so relatives abroad may say it differently.
- Ari — The most portable short form, and a standalone given name in its own right.
- Zay — Informal, shared with Zaid and Zayden; common among children now.
- Az — Very informal, mostly used by friends and siblings.
- Zaria — Used more often for girls; also exists as a full given name.
- Also Ria.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Asa if you want…
- a name fewer children share#483 in 2025 — asa will almost certainly be the only one in school
- a name holding steadyAsa is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesAsa is 2 syllables to Azariah's 4
- a name that stays wholeone recorded short form for Asa (Ace)
Choose Azariah if you want…
- a name most people already know#472 in 2025, 645 babies that year
- a name on the way upup 206 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itAzariah runs 4 syllables, Asa 2
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Ari, Zay and Az
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Asa
Strengths
- Two syllables, four sounds, and no silent letters — once heard, it is almost always spelled right first time.
- A documented line running from Hebrew scripture through Greek and Latin into English without the name changing shape.
- Long American use rather than a fashion spike, so it sits comfortably on a child, an adult and an old man alike.
To consider
- Two live pronunciations exist — AY-suh in English, AH-suh in Japanese and Scandinavian names of the same spelling. Most people will guess the English one, but not all of them.
- Three letters make for a short target: expect it to be read as Asia or Ada now and then, and to get lost in autocorrect and search boxes.
- Elsewhere in the world the same spelling reads as a girl's name, which matters mainly for international forms, travel and email from abroad.
Azariah
Strengths
- The spelling is the one used in English Bibles, so it is findable and defensible even where the name itself is unfamiliar.
- Its meaning is settled rather than guessed at, which is not true of every ancient name.
- Several ready-made short forms — Ari, Zay, Az — all in real use.
To consider
- Expect to spell it out. Azaria, Azariya and Azariyah all circulate, and the final -h is the piece people drop.
- Two pronunciations compete: az-uh-RYE-uh in English, ah-zar-YAH closer to the Hebrew. Pick one early and say it first when you introduce the child.
- It is given to both boys and girls, but the boys' side is considerably larger. A girl named Azariah will meet forms and teachers that assume otherwise, which is manageable but worth expecting.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Asa and Azariah in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Three-letter names: tiny and complete
- Palindrome names: the same in the mirror
- Victorian names ready for a second century
- Four-syllable names that carry
- all guides
Where Asa and Azariah each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Asa or Azariah — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Asa or Azariah?
- Azariah, in 2025: Azariah ranked #472 with 645 babies; Asa ranked #483 with 622 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Asa or Azariah?
- Azariah. Over the last five years Asa moved up 23 places; Azariah moved up 206 places.
- Which is the older name, Asa or Azariah?
- Asa was already in use when US records began in 1880; Azariah entered the US charts in 1972. On the American record, Asa is the older name.
- How many people are named Asa and Azariah?
- About 17,000 people named Asa are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 6,500 people named Azariah are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Asas or Azariahs in the classroom?
- Asa will almost certainly be the only one in school. Azariah will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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