Given name & surname
Nehemiah
“God provides comfort”
Nehemiah is used as a given name and a surname. One Hebrew interpretation is “God provides comfort.”
Original Hebrewנחמיה
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hebrew interpretation is “God provides comfort.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
From Hebrew נְחֶמְיָה (“consolation of Yahweh”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1886. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Nehemiah appears in Ezra 2:2, Nehemiah 3:16, Nehemiah 1:1.
- Ezra 2:2
- Nehemiah 3:16
- Nehemiah 1:1
From biblical name research
Nehemiah through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 22,439
- 21,804 boys · 635 girls
- Most popular year
- 2010
- 969 babies
- 2025
- 768
- #429 for boys · #5,189 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −14%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 743 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 429 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 14.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 933 in 2010. It also appeared in 25 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (114). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 13,359 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Nehemiah’s family of names
Nehemiah has a related form in Nechemia. In English usage, Nehemiah has a conventional equivalent in the German form Nehemia. Nehemiah has a related form in Nehemia.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Nehemiah has relatives in 6 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
4 related names in 6 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 7
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 9
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
- Nahumshares a root
- Naumshares a root
- Nahamanishares a root
- Nahamshares a root
- Menahemshares a root
- Manaenshares a root
- Tanhumethshares a root
- Nehumshares a root
Show 1 moreShow fewer
People named Nehemiah
- Nehemiah PersoffAmerican actor and painter (1919–2022)
- SpotemGottemAmerican rapperborn 2001
- Nehemiah GreenAmerican politician (1837-1890)
- Nehemiah R. KnightAmerican politician (1780-1854)
- Nechemya CohenHighly decorated Israeli soldier1943–1967
- Nehemiah EastmanAmerican congressman for New Hampshire (1782-1856)
- Nehemiah MoteAustralian volleyball playerborn 1993
- Nehemiah TamariIsraeli general1946–1994
- Nehemiah PerryAmerican politician (1816-1881)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Nehemiah, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Eli
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Nathanael
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>99% boys