| Joseph | Zachary | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God shall add | The Lord has remembered |
| Origin | Hebrew | Hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | JOH-zef | ZAK-uh-ree |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1900 |
| Peak year | 1956 (32,749) | 1993 (25,538) |
| In 2025 | 7,303 | 1,646 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Joseph | Zachary |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 46,334 | 13,208 |
| 2010s | 115,722 | 51,146 |
| 2000s | 194,962 | 134,756 |
| 1990s | 260,751 | 225,290 |
| 1980s | 299,411 | 101,818 |
| 1970s | 244,825 | 19,060 |
| 1960s | 283,048 | 3,476 |
| 1950s | 300,012 | 2,169 |
| 1940s | 230,285 | 404 |
| 1930s | 180,566 | 142 |
| 1920s | 243,809 | 168 |
| 1910s | 179,300 | 109 |
| 1900s | 35,173 | 6 |
| 1890s | 29,000 | 0 |
| 1880s | 26,292 | 0 |
Joseph comes from the Hebrew Yosef, “he will add” or “God will increase.” It is borne by Joseph of the coat of many colours and by St Joseph, husband of Mary.
Zachary is an English form of Zechariah, Hebrew for “Yahweh remembers.” It was borne by Zachary Taylor, the twelfth US president.
Joseph is more popular than Zachary today: about 7,303 US babies were given the name Joseph in 2025, compared with 1,646 named Zachary.
Joseph means God shall add (Hebrew origin), while Zachary means The Lord has remembered (Hebrew origin).
In US records, Joseph first appears in 1880 and Zachary in 1900, so Joseph has the longer recorded history.