Ezekiel: Baby Name of the Day

Old Testament baby name Ezekiel has never been more popular.

Thanks to Kelly for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME EZEKIEL MEAN?

Noah, Isaac, Jacob. The average kindergarten has at least one Old Testament patriarch on the roster – probably more than one.

The baby name Ezekiel fits right in.

It means “God will strengthen” from the Hebrew.

The Book of Ezekiel chronicles events during the Babylonian captivity. Ezekiel was among the Jews of the Kingdom of Judah forced into exile in Babylon during the sixth century BC. He was a priest and later became a prophet, his visions describing the eventual restoration of Israel.

As Biblical boy names go, Ezekiel is a heavy hitter.

While he’s not a baker, his story does include a recipe for bread: wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, spelt. The bread that provided his sustenance during two years in the desert has inspired recipes, Ezekiel bread kits, and even Ezekiel 4:9 organic sprouted bread. (Plus cereal, and even cinnamon raisin English muffins.)

PROTESTANT REVIVAL

The prophet wasn’t the only bearer of the name in the ancient world, but he was the most famous. His name was adopted in the English-speaking world post-Reformation by Protestant parents.

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible was a fictionalized account of the Salem witch trials. Miller named a character Ezekiel Cheever. He was among those who made accusations of witchcraft.

There was a real life Ezekiel Cheever, but he had nothing to do with Salem. He was a widely respected and influential seventeenth century schoolmaster, the author of a well-regarded textbook on Latin and was a long-time headmaster at the prestigious Boston Latin.

Circa the year 1800, Ezekiel Bacon was a Congressman from Massachusetts. He later moved to New York, where he served as a judge. Other elected officials, from Maryland to Mississippi, were also named Ezekiel. 

In 1807, entrepreneur Ezekiel Hart was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada. Because Hart was Jewish, he swore his oath of office on a Tanakh, rather than a Bible. The Hart Affair stretched out over two years. He is now considered the first Jewish person elected to public office in the British Empire. While he never served his term, his efforts ultimately led to full rights for those of the Jewish faith, including holding elected office.

Into the late nineteenth century, Ezekiel was steadily used, though not particularly common.

EZEKIEL THE PLAYWRIGHT

Back to the ancient world for a minute: Ezekiel the Tragedian was a Jewish writer living in ancient Alexandria sometime around the second or third century BCE. He wrote The Exodus, the earliest surviving Jewish play. It describes the same story from the Bible, featuring Moses, and explaining the story of the Jews leaving Egypt.

During the twentieth century, celebrated Indian poet and playwright Nissim Ezekiel became known for writing Indian poetry in English, and shaping postcolonial literature.

The more recent author also reminds us that Ezekiel is sometimes a last name.

THE NICKNAME ZEKE

Many of the best known Ezekiels are famous in fiction, and many of them answer to Zeke.

Here’s a list, inevitably incomplete:

• Craig T. Nelson played Parenthood patriarch Zeek on ABC for six seasons.
• Jack Black voiced a sabre-toothed tiger answering to Zeke in the first Ice Age movie.
• The High School Musical franchise included Zeke Baylor.
• Australian soap opera Neighbours includes teenager Zeke Kinski.
• Disney used the name twice, for a Wizards of Waverly Place character, and again, for one of the title characters in Zeke and Luther.
• Comics give us Zeke Stain in Iron Man, as well as Ezekiel Sims in Spider-Man. 
• More characters – these usually Ezekiel in full – appeared in The Librarians, Supernatural, The Walking Dead, Divergent, and more.

Many a Zeke was not an Ezekiel at all:

• Early 20th century race car driver Zeke Meyer was born Herman.
• Olympic medalist in wrestling Zeke Jones was born Larry.
• MLB alum Zeke Bonura was born Henry.
• Former NFL player Zeke Bratkowski was actually an Edmund.

And sometimes an Ezekiel became an Easy – as in E.Z. Mayans M.C., a spin-off of Sons of Anarchy, centered on the story of Ezekiel “E.Z.” Reyes, raising the nickname’s profile.

One of the hallmarks of a popular Biblical name for a boy: an easy nickname. Think Joshua/Josh, Jacob/Jake, Gabriel/Gabe, and yes, Ezekiel called Zeke.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME EZEKIEL?

When the first version of this post was published in 2010, I called Ezekiel “just a little different” and a good choice for parents disappointed that Isaac and Levi had both entered the US Top 100 – even though Ezekiel seemed “headed straight into the Top 200.”

I guess the crystal ball was working that day, because the baby name Ezekiel ranks #50 as of 2023. 

In addition, the Spanish Ezequiel stands at #336 and Zeke is #640.

ANCIENT ROOTS, MODERN SOUND

If you’re after a boy’s name that combines an old school, Hebrew origin with an on-trend sound, Ezekiel is one to consider.

While the name’s popularity has increased in recent years, that’s not all bad. It’s made Ezekiel feel like a mainstream choice for a son – less overtly religious, and more in the Jacob/Gabriel camp of familiar, accessible favorites. And nickname Zeke? It’s the 2020s equivalent of Zach.

It’s the perfect name for parents after something with rich history that’s fresh and new for this generation.

What do you think of the baby name Ezekiel?

This post was originally published on May 13, 2010. It was substantially revised and re-posted on July 13, 2015 and again on February 5, 2025.