The Old Testament baby name Ezra feels exactly right in the twenty-first century.
Thanks to Bo for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
GOOD
Turn on the radio in the spring of 1995 and you couldn’t avoid hearing this song:
Lookin’ around the house
Hidden behind the window and the door
Searchin’ for signs of life
But there’s nobody home
The song was called Good, and the artists were a previously little-known group formed back at Louisiana State University. Known as Better Than Ezra, their success quietly pushed the name back into the spotlight.
From 1994 to 1996, the name jumped nearly 150 places in the US rankings, and it’s yet to slow down.
As for where the band found the name? They’ve never said. But there’s no shortage of possibilities.
OLD TESTAMENT
The name appears in the Old Testament. He’s a poet and a scribe, a teacher and interpreter of Jewish law.
The name’s Biblical status explains why it’s remained in use over the ages.
An early president of Yale University wore the name, as did the founder of Cornell University.
It’s the first name of Fitch in Abercrombie & Fitch, too. Before the store peddled goods in shopping malls, it outfitted gentlemen adventurers.
But this name doesn’t seem scholarly or rugged. Instead, the baby name Ezra leans literary. That’s thanks to two other figures.
KEATS and POUND
Born in the wilds of Idaho when it was still just a territory, poet Ezra Pound spent much of his adult life in Europe. His poetry endures, though his political views – he supported Italy’s fascist regime during World War II – ensure that he’s forever controversial.
On a happier note, there’s the classic children’s book The Snowy Day. Celebrated author Ezra Jack Keats wrote and illustrated the enduring favorite. It’s even inspired US postage stamps.
A literary pedigree and an unusual sound – the razor-sharp z-r, the -a ending – put the baby name Ezra on the quirky classics list for years.
RISING FAVORITE
But as those children of the 90s started families of their own, the baby name Ezra continued to climb.
There’s well-known journalist Klein, one of the founders of the news site Vox.
Actor Ezra Miller has become a household name, thanks to turns in the Fantastic Beasts franchise and his role as The Flash in the DC Comics universe.
Grammy-winning musician and Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig adds another musical note to the name’s history.
Pretty Little Liars gave us Ezra Fitz.
Sound pushed this name higher, too. We’re all about a-ending boy names, with Noah a recent Top Ten choice, and other names like Luca and Isaiah very much in favor. That high-value Scrabble letter Z helps, too.
But there’s one other factor to consider.
BRIDGER
Disney’s animated series Star Wars Rebels takes place before A New Hope – the first Star Wars movie ever made – but after Revenge of the Sith. In the series, Ezra Bridger grows up an orphan. But he’s Force-sensitive – that is, a potential Jedi. He eventually joins up with a band of rebels as the Empire tightens its hold. Bridger proves himself a capable leader, though he struggles to use his power for good.
He’s a popular character, and the series has been a success. It first aired in 2014.
With Star Wars-inspired baby names feeling mainstream in recent years, the character has surely boosted the baby name Ezra even higher.
UNISEX?
As of 2018, 274 girls received the name Ezra – just enough to rank it inside the US Top 1000 for girls as well as boys.
Many names, from Biblical picks like Micah and Asa, to modern favorites like Jordan and Drew, have some history of use as unisex names across languages and cultures. That’s not the case for Ezra. Ezra as a girls’ name is new – though Ezra’s overall popularity is relatively new, too.
Given the overwhelming number of boys receiving the name, Ezra feels a little like Ryan or James for a girl – more of an exception, not a trend.
The Arabic feminine name Isra sounds similar, but has separate roots. And a female character on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was named Ezri, which is a variant of Ezra, so that might also have some influence.
TOP 100 FAVORITE
Really, the only question remaining is how high will the baby name Ezra climb?
It cracked the Top 200 in 2012, entered the Top 100 by 2015, and is now more popular than ever before, with no signs of slowing down. As of 2018, the name ranked #59 – an all-time high.
What do you think of the baby name Ezra? Would you consider this name for a son?
Originally published on June 1, 2008, this post was revised on November 29, 2011, December 26, 2018, and June 8, 2020.
I like Ezra, too. But would you put him in the same family as Boaz? He’s on our list, currently, as a possibility, but not running as strong as Israel at the moment (a name you haven’t gotten to yet, I notice – hint! hint!)
BTW, I think Esdras was actually not the same guy. Ezra’s book is in the Bible, but then there are the books of First and Second Esdras in the apocrypha – if I remember correctly, they are books of wisdom, like Proverbs, not historic ones like Ezra. Could be mistaken, though. I don’t have an apocrypha near at hand … Thanks for helping us take another look at a great name! We only know one cute little blonde about 4 with this moniker so far. 🙂
I actually knew an Esdras. I grew up around a large Haitian community, and he was from Haiti…he had a beautiful name- Esdras d’Haiti. We went to high school together and were good friends, but he died tragically during wrestling practice, which I saw. I would love to use Esdras, but every time I see the name, I reenact my friend’s death in my head. :'(
I love Ezra, but then there are very few biblical names I don’t like 🙂 I have a thing for E names and I think Ezra and Enoch would make a beautiful sibset. However I doubt I could use a name that jumped 100 spots in only 3 years, yikes!
I really don’t get how people think that Ezra is feminine, but I guess there is far less biblical knowledge than there used to be.
Ezra’s great. I worked for Cornell U, so Ezra’s definitely male in my book. There’s a little Ezra in the girls’ preschool class, and 2 Lucases in their preschool.
My son is due in late Jan. and I am having a hard time picking out a name. So far I like Eli, and Camden. But after reading this I really like the sound of Ezra, it’s very different and I like it. My husband likes biblical names, but for some reason he doesn’t like Ezra. Sometimes I wish I could just name this child, why does he have to have a say 😉
You could always try Elisha. Similar in sound, popular but not too common, and definitely not trendy.
Where do you live? I live in NY, and know a boy named Camden, and all I can think of is Camden, NJ. I suppose if I lived a little further south it would be Camden Yards. I think it’s a better name for people who live off the East Coast.
Funny, I bumped into an old high school classmate at a friend’s baby shower and she had a little 4 year old girl named Ezra. I was mortified but managed to cover it up and mentioned that Ezra Pound was one of my favorite poets, and commented on “how unique it was to give the name to a girl!”. She gave me a weird look and said that how she picked it out was- when she was pregnant with her Ezra, she came across a sweater in the female section at A&F and inside, it said “Ezra Fitch”. She assumed it was a girl’s name and took it from there. After further conversation, apparently she has never researched her daughter’s name once and had no idea it was a male name. How some people can do that, I don’t know.
I know a few people who gave little to no thought to doing name research, barely even picking up name books, let alone doing any online research. For every name nerd, there’s a name…bimbo?
Name bimbo, that’s genius! 😉
We do think of bimbo as the opposite of nerd, don’t we?
Brilliant!
LOL Name bimbo!!! I am so using that on my husband!
Ezra is on our very short list for a boy. We went to LSU and love the subtle references Better than Ezra makes to our alma mater in their lyrics:-) To me Ezra is one of those ‘diamond in the rough’ names. I’d heard it my whole life without ever considering it, and then one day I saw it in your archive and it hit me like a ton a bricks; all shiny and new. I love it’s quirky sound and biblical reference, and it sounds great with our last name. My only reservation is how quickly its rising up the charts.
I love soft names way more than hard names for boys. Give me Ezra and Noah over Colton and Hunter anyday. I first heard of Ezra on a TV show called Higher Ground. It didnt really strike me as feminine if I think about, since I didn’t bat an eyelid.
I think -ah names are on trend, but I’m not sure if it’s at its most popular. Ira and Alva from the 1800s come to mind, Dana, Elisha, Ezra and Asa have been used for a long time too. Joshua is definitely the most popular ever, with probably Dakota right behind.
There are others also, but with lesser usage, such as state names Indiana and Montana, Shia and Shaya, even Kaia I’ve seen on a boy. Nikita, Nikola and Nicola are actually more used on boys in the US than girls, that surprised me.Then there’s the exotic names, Krishna, Kekoa, Kainoa, Indra, Akira, Mustafa, Hamza, Sasha, Misha, Mattia, etc.. And of course nouveau inventions (I think) like Koa, Koda, etc….
Oops how did I leave out Luca/Luka? Those are definitely reaching for the stars, although I do think as long as Lucas/Lukas is around, they’ll always be the bridesmaids.
I would say that because I do not have a religious background, the first time I heard Ezra I too thought it was a girls name because of the -A- ending something akin to Eliza or the butchered Ezme (Esme) and Eliz (Elise) . I see how it is on trend, and has significance for many people, but I think the soft ending throws me off and the strong religious undertones.. I probably wouldn’t use it. Funny that hard -o- endings dont throw me off for girls though… like Margot and Cleo.. love both of them
Getting really fed up with my phone. I posted a comment using my new phone, but it didn’t show up. That’s just the 3rd or 4th time this has happened.
Anyway, I said something along the lines of, “Two and a half years later, and my opinion hasn’t changed. I still find it way too Jewish. I don’t hate biblical names, but the ones with religious overtones like Ezra, Caleb, Abel, etc., don’t end up on my list.”
I first came across Ezra when learning about Ezra Pound in American English class in highschool…I loved the name the first time I heard it because of everything you’ve mentioned…the unusual -a ending for boys paired with the spunky Z is adorable. Ezra would fit right in a small country town or in a chic metropolis.