Zeke

What Zeke means

Diminutive of Ezekiel, meaning “God strengthens”

diminutive of the male given name Ezekiel || From Koine Greek Ἰεζεκιήλ (Iezekiḗl), from Biblical Hebrew יְחֶזְקֵאל (Y'ḥezqēl, “God strengthens”).

Source: Wiktionary, “Zeke” (revision 84042475) and “Ezekiel” (revision 93743852), CC BY-SA 4.0. Quoted from the etymology; we don’t write our own.

How popular is Zeke?

US: Falling: down from #701 in 2015. England & Wales: Rising: up from #1159 in 2015.

Biggest US share so far: 2022, when 459 boys got the name (#610 that year). First in the US records in 1880.

How common

• About 1 in 5,492 baby boys in the US in 2025
• About 1 in 8,498 baby boys in England and Wales in 2025

“1 in N” divides by all listed births for that sex. The US list leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies, and the UK lists leave out names given to 2 or fewer, so the real figure is a little rarer than shown.

Where in the US

Most popular in SD (1.56 per 1,000 boys), UT (0.81 per 1,000 boys), KY (0.54 per 1,000 boys) in 2025.

SSA state data, 2025. Share of all listed boys born in each state.

US vs UK

Zeke is #800 in the US and #953 in England & Wales (2025).

Same sex as this page (boys). SSA (US), ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland).

Boy or girl?

In 2025, 99.9+% of US babies named Zeke were boys.

Counts below the publishing threshold (US 5, UK 3) are not included.

How to say it

IPA from Wiktionary.

Other spellings parents chose in 2025

• Zak12 US · 62 E&W
• Zeek18 US

Names that sound the same and differ by a letter or two, with baby counts for the same sex. US and E&W counts.

If you like Zeke

Boys

• Jasper#129Editor’s note Up from #214 in 2015 to #129 in 2025 in the US. About 1 in 610 US boys in the 2025 records
• Oliver#3Editor’s note Up from #19 in 2015 to #3 in 2025 in the US. About 1 in 110 US boys in the 2025 records
• Leo#19“lion”^*
• Lennox#289Editor’s note Used for both: 75% of US babies named Lennox in 2025 were boys
• Archer#98Editor’s note Climbing fast in the US: #289 in 2015, #98 in 2025
• Henry#5Editor’s note Up from #29 in 2015 to #5 in 2025 in the US. About 1 in 140 US boys in the 2025 records

For a sister

• Penelope#22possibly “duck”^*
• Hazel#21From the word “hazel”^*
• Cora#113“maiden”^*
• Mila#43Editor’s note Up from #53 in 2015 to #43 in 2025 in the US. About 1 in 340 US girls in the 2025 records
• Aria#26“a musical aria”^*
• Zara#212“flower”^*

Picked from the US top 1,000 in 2025: names Wiktionary also files under where there are enough, topped up with common names whose US popularity since 1990 rose and fell most like Zeke’s. Place names are only included if they are in the top 300. Rank is US 2025.