Zacchaeus
Masculine · “pure”
Zacchaeus is the tax collector who climbed a tree to see over the crowd — and his name means pure in Hebrew.
How old is the name Zacchaeus?
Zacchaeus first appears in US birth records in 1974 — 51 years ago. The typical Zacchaeus alive today was born around 2007, making them about 18 years old. About 1,900 people named Zacchaeus are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Zacchaeus most popular?
Zacchaeus peaked in 2000, reaching #1681 nationally. Today it ranks #2363, 682 places below that high. See the whole 2000 chart.
Zacchaeus appears on this list:
Where it comes from
From zakah to Zacchaeus
The story of Zacchaeus
Luke 19 has Zacchaeus, short and rich and despised, climb a sycamore to see Jesus pass, and be called down by name; he gives half his goods away on the spot. That a chief tax collector is named 'pure' is the sort of detail Luke seems to enjoy. It appears in American records in current use.
Meaning
pure, innocent
From the Greek Zakchaios, from the Hebrew Zakkai, 'pure' or 'innocent', from zakah, 'to be clean'. Luke names him a chief tax collector, which sits pointedly against the meaning. The Hebrew is documented.
How the name formed
- zakah
- Zakkai
- Zacchaeus
Related forms: Ζακχαῖος · זכאי · Zaqueo
Pronouncing Zacchaeus
za-KEE-us
Three syllables, stress in the middle. The ch is a hard k.
Nicknames for Zacchaeus
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
- 1974
- Most boys named
- 200371 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1681reached in 2000
- Change vs 2024
- +26.1%58 in 2025, from 46
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.
Zacchaeus in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ζακχαῖος in Greek — transliteration
- זכאי in Hebrew — related form
- Zaqueo in Spanish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, North Carolina.
Zacchaeuss among us
people named Zacchaeus are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 29,450 born in 2025 was named Zacchaeus
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 Arcadio test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Zacchaeus's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Arcadio climbed just as high around 1955, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Arcadio's path sketches the road Zacchaeus is walking now.
Zacchaeus sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Zacchaeus is headed
Zacchaeus should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium 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.
Zacchaeus beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Zacchaeus in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That a chief tax collector is named 'pure' is a first-rate irony.
- The sycamore scene is one of the most memorable in Luke.
- Zac is available as a short form with a large record.
- The spelling is difficult and will be got wrong constantly.
- Three syllables and an unusual shape make it demanding.
- It reads as strongly biblical.
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Zacchaeus
Masculine · #2363 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Zacchaeuss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,900 people named Zacchaeus are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Zacchaeus in 2025?
- Zacchaeus ranks #2363 among US boy names in 2025, with 58 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Zacchaeus?
- About 1 in every 29,450 US boys born in 2025 was named Zacchaeus — 58 in all.
- Will my child share the name Zacchaeus with classmates?
- Zacchaeus will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Zacchaeus
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Javi#2363 · Kyngston#2363 · Pete#2363 · Herman#2363 · Clint#2363 · Lipa#2363 · Reuven#2363 · Khyson#2363
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Zacchaeus? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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