Head to head · Boys' names
Kendrick vs Zachariah
#535 vs #536 in 2025
Kendrick is a whisker ahead (#535 vs #536 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Kendrick is stepping back from its peak, Zachariah is holding its place on the charts. On momentum, Zachariah has the edge.
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
On the charts, Kendrick leads 3 measures of 6; Zachariah leads 2.
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: Kendrick —, Zachariah #940 — Zachariah higher
- 1890s: Kendrick —, Zachariah #1066 — Zachariah higher
- 1910s: Kendrick #1928, Zachariah #3082 — Kendrick higher
- 1920s: Kendrick #2016, Zachariah #3805 — Kendrick higher
- 1930s: Kendrick #2206, Zachariah #3270 — Kendrick higher
- 1940s: Kendrick #1529, Zachariah #2878 — Kendrick higher
- 1950s: Kendrick #1442, Zachariah #3492 — Kendrick higher
- 1960s: Kendrick #956, Zachariah #3665 — Kendrick higher
- 1970s: Kendrick #405, Zachariah #777 — Kendrick higher
- 1980s: Kendrick #355, Zachariah #376 — Kendrick higher
- 1990s: Kendrick #384, Zachariah #338 — Zachariah higher
- 2000s: Kendrick #511, Zachariah #408 — Zachariah higher
- 2010s: Kendrick #417, Zachariah #443 — Kendrick higher
- 2020s: Kendrick #468, Zachariah #547 — Kendrick higher
Kendrick stood higher in 10 of 14 decades; Kendrick has held the lead since the 2010s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Kendrick | Zachariah |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #940 |
| 1890s | — | #1066 |
| 1910s | #1928 | #3082 |
| 1920s | #2016 | #3805 |
| 1930s | #2206 | #3270 |
| 1940s | #1529 | #2878 |
| 1950s | #1442 | #3492 |
| 1960s | #956 | #3665 |
| 1970s | #405 | #777 |
| 1980s | #355 | #376 |
| 1990s | #384 | #338 |
| 2000s | #511 | #408 |
| 2010s | #417 | #443 |
| 2020s | #468 | #547 |
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
Kendrick
'royal power' or 'chief hero', depending on which root
Two serious readings compete, because two separate old names produced the same surname. From Old English Cyneric — cyne 'royal' plus ric 'power'. From Welsh Cynwrig — cyn 'chief, foremost' plus a second element usually read as 'hero' or 'man'. A third, quite different route exists in Scotland, where Kendrick comes from Mac Eanraig, 'son of Henry', and carries no 'royal power' sense at all.
Cyneric → Cynwrig → Kenrick → Kendrick
How it traveled
Kendrick is one of those names that reached us backwards: it was a family name for centuries before anyone thought to give it to a baby as a first name. Behind the surname sit the Old English Cyneric and the Welsh Cynwrig, both compounds built from words for rulership and pre-eminence, worn down over the medieval period into Kenrick and then Kendrick with the intrusive d that English so often slips into such clusters.
Zachariah
the Lord has remembered
From Hebrew Zekharyah, combining the verb zakhar, 'to remember', with a short form of the divine name.
Zekharyah → Zacharias → Zacharie → Zachariah → Zachary
How it traveled
The name belongs first to Hebrew scripture, where Zechariah son of Berechiah prophesied in Jerusalem during the rebuilding of the Temple in the sixth century BC. Greek-speaking translators wrote it Zacharias, and that is the form the New Testament uses for the priest who is told he will have a son, John.
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
Kendrick
KEN-drik
Stress on the first syllable. Two syllables, no silent letters, and the same in British and American English. English speakers read it right on the first try.
- Ken — The standard short form, and a long-established given name in its own right; most strongly represented among older generations.
- Kenny — Informal and affectionate, also used as a full given name on its own.
- K — Initial-only nickname, common among American teenagers and in sports settings.
- Drick — Back-half clipping, informal and mostly used between friends.
Zachariah
zak-uh-RY-uh
Stress on the third syllable. The final -ah is unstressed, close to 'uh'. The opening Z is a plain English z, not a ts.
- Zach — The default everyday short form; also stands alone as a given name.
- Zack — Same sound, the spelling many people default to when writing it down.
- Zac — A trimmer written form, used as an independent name too.
- Zak — Less common spelling of the same short form, used in the UK as well as the US.
- Also Zeke.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Kendrick if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsKendrick is stepping back from its peak
- a name with fewer syllablesKendrick is 2 syllables to Zachariah's 4
- a newer arrivalKendrick entered the US charts in 1912
Choose Zachariah if you want…
- a name with more sound in itZachariah runs 4 syllables, Kendrick 2
- a long American recordZachariah was already in use when US records began in 1880
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
Kendrick
Strengths
- Spelled the way it sounds from parts English speakers already know — Ken and the -rick ending — so it rarely needs repeating.
- Comes with ready-made short forms, Ken and Kenny, both of which have stood alone as names for a very long time.
- A long unbroken record in American use, so it is familiar without being crowded — a Kendrick will likely be the only one in the class.
To consider
- It is closely tied in many people's minds to one very famous contemporary bearer, the rapper Kendrick Lamar. That association is likely to be the first thing said about the name for years to come — a plus for some families, a distraction for others.
- Kenrick, Kendric and Kendrix all exist, so expect the occasional dropped d or swapped ending in writing, even if the pronunciation never causes trouble.
- The natural short form, Ken, sits with an older generation and has its own separate baggage from the Barbie films. Kenny travels more easily with a child.
Zachariah
Strengths
- A settled, undisputed meaning in Hebrew — 'the Lord has remembered' — which is rare enough among names this old.
- The short forms Zach, Zack and Zac need no explaining anywhere in the English-speaking world.
- Recognized in Jewish, Christian and Muslim tradition, with a matching form in Arabic, Spanish, French, Greek and Russian.
To consider
- Three English spellings compete: Zachariah, Zechariah and Zacharias, plus the shorter Zachary. Expect to spell it out often, and expect forms to come back with the wrong vowel in the second syllable.
- The nickname is far more common than the full name, so a Zachariah will meet plenty of Zachs — most of them Zacharys underneath. If the long form matters to you, it will need consistent use at home.
- Four syllables is a lot to pair with a long surname, and worth saying aloud in full a few times before you decide.
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 Kendrick and Zachariah 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
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Kendrick and Zachariah?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Kendrick and Zachariah — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Kendrick or Zachariah — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Kendrick or Zachariah?
- Kendrick, in 2025: Kendrick ranked #535 with 559 babies; Zachariah ranked #536 with 558 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Kendrick or Zachariah?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Kendrick moved down 110 places; Zachariah moved down 16 places.
- Which is the older name, Kendrick or Zachariah?
- Kendrick entered the US charts in 1912; Zachariah was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Zachariah is the older name.
- How many people are named Kendrick and Zachariah?
- About 32,000 people named Kendrick are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 30,500 people named Zachariah are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Kendricks or Zachariahs in the classroom?
- Kendrick will almost certainly be the only one in school. Zachariah 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
Keep playing
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