Ezra
Masculine · Hebrew roots · “help”
Ezra is given to both — 106,761 boys and 5,007 girls since 1880. See Ezra as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Ezra is a name from the Hebrew scriptures that English speakers took up in the seventeenth century and never quite put down. Two syllables, five letters, no silent traps — it says itself. After generations of sitting quietly in the record, it has been climbing hard, and it now sounds equally at home on a great-grandfather and on a toddler.
How old is the name Ezra?
Ezra was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Ezra is a kid of about 6 — this name's wave is very recent. About 101,000 people named Ezra are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ezra most popular?
Ezra peaked in 2024, reaching #13 nationally. Today it ranks #20, 7 places below that high. See the whole 2024 chart.
Where it comes from
From ʿEzrā (Hebrew) to Ezra
The story of Ezra
Ezra belongs to the Hebrew Bible: the scribe and priest of the Book of Ezra, who led exiles back from Babylon and reestablished the Law in Jerusalem in the fifth century BC. Greek translators rendered the name Esdras, and it passed through Latin in that shape, which is why Spanish and Portuguese Bibles still say Esdras while English ones say Ezra. English-speaking Puritans, drawn to Old Testament names their neighbors were not using, carried Ezra to New England, and it stayed in steady American use for centuries afterwards. Its recent rise has been shared with Britain and Canada, where the name charts too — and the frontman of Vampire Weekend, Ezra Koenig, put it back in general earshot along the way.
Meaning
help, or helper
From the Hebrew עֶזְרָא (ʿEzrā), understood as a short form of names like Azariah, 'God has helped'.
Cultural footprint
Ezra Koenig (b. 1984) — Vampire Weekend frontman
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
How the name formed
- ʿEzrāHebrew
- EsdrasGreek
- EsdrasLatin
- EzraEnglish
Related forms: עֶזְרָא · Esdras · Esdras · Esdras · Esdra · Uzayr
Pronouncing Ezra
EZ-ruh
Stress on the first syllable in English. In Hebrew the stress falls at the end, closer to ez-RAH.
Nicknames for Ezra
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 20258,126 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #13reached in 2024
- Change vs 2022
- +1.3%8,126 in 2025, from 8,023
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Ezra in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- עֶזְרָא in Hebrew — transliteration
- Esdras in Spanish — same name
- Esdras in Portuguese — same name
- Esdras in French — same name
- Esdra in Italian — same name
- Uzayr in Arabic — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Florida. International figures from Office for National Statistics, Statistics Canada. Sources
Ezras among us
people named Ezra are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 210 born in 2025 was named Ezra
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Kenneth test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Ezra's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Kenneth climbed just as high around 1939, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Kenneth's path sketches the road Ezra is walking now.
Ezra is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Ezra is headed
Ezra should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Ezra beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Ezra in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Spelled the way it sounds, and familiar enough that most people write it correctly the first time.
- A documented record stretching from the Hebrew Bible through Puritan England and New England to the present day.
- Two syllables, so it sits easily beside longer surnames and needs no shortening.
- Recognized in England, Wales and Canada as well as the US, with Esdras as its ready equivalent in Spanish and French.
- It is rising quickly, so a child named Ezra now is more likely to meet others than one named a decade ago. Right now that means a classmate here and there rather than a crowd, but the trend is upward.
- Ezekiel is popular at the same time, and people sometimes assume Ezra is short for it. A small, lifelong correction.
- The biblical roots are unmistakable, which some families want and others would rather not foreground.
- Recorded for girls as well, but the boys' side is overwhelmingly larger. A girl named Ezra will be read as a boy on forms and rosters until she says otherwise.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Ezra to the vote.
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What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Ezra
Masculine · Hebrew roots · #20 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Ezras are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 101,000 people named Ezra are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Ezra in 2025?
- Ezra ranks #20 among US boy names in 2025, with 8,126 babies given the name.
- How common is the name Ezra?
- About 1 in every 210 US boys born in 2025 was named Ezra — 8,126 in all.
- Will my child share the name Ezra with classmates?
- Roughly 1 in 8 classrooms will have a child named Ezra.
Ranked beside Ezra
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Michael#21 · Leo#19 · Samuel#18 · Daniel#22 · Hudson#17 · John#23 · Sebastian#16 · Ethan#24
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ezra? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Ezra and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Or jump into a head-to-head
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Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration; international figures from national statistics agencies. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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