Jeremiah

Hebrew
"appointed by God"

Jeremiah Origin and Meaning

The name Jeremiah is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "appointed by God".

Jeremiah is a solid Old Testament prophet name that has gradually taken the place of the now dated Jeremy, Gerard and Gerald, joining other currently popular biblical 'iah' names like Josiah and Isaiah. In the Bible Jeremiah is a famous prophet whose story is recorded in the book named after him.

Dickens used the name in two of his novels--Little Dorrit and A Tale of Two Cities-- and other fictional Jeremiahs have been spotted in such movies and TV shows as Oz, Zoey101 and The Princess Diaries. Leonard Bernstein composed a work called Jeremiah Symphony.

Caveats: Once-logical nickname Jerry sounds like the family dentist, and some may make the Jeremiah bullfrog association.

A related, more unusual biblical option: Jeriah.

# 92 in the US

Jeremiah Rank in US Top 1000

# 494 on Nameberry

Jeremiah Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Jeremiah Popularity

Famous People Named Jeremiah

  • Jeremiah
    head of the house of his fathers, of the tribe of Manasseh (1 Chr. 5:24)
  • Jeremiah
    of the tribe of Benjamin, follower of David (1 Chr. 12:4)
  • Jeremiah
    of the tribe of Gad, follower of David (1 Chr. 12:10)
  • Jeremiah
    of the tribe of Gad, another follower of David (1 Chr. 12:13)
  • Jeremiah of Libnah
    grandfather of Judean kings Jehoahaz and Zedekiah
  • Jeremiah
    son of Habaziniah, a Rechabite (Jeremiah 35:3)
  • Jeremiah
    sealer of a covenant (Nehemiah 10:2)
  • (John) Jeremiah "Liver
    Eating" Johnson, American frontiersman
  • Jeremiah Eames Rankin (1828
    1904), hymnist
  • Jeremiah Morrow
    American politician; 9th Governor of Ohio
  • Jeremiah Andrew Denton
    Jr., U.S. Navy real admiral and Senator from Alabama
  • Jeremiah Alvesta Wright
    American pastor to President Barack Obama
  • Jeremiah "Jerry" O'Connell
    American actor
  • Jeremiah Coghlan
    British naval officer
  • Jeremiah Denis Mathias Ford
    American linguist
  • Jeremiah Trotter
    American football player
  • Jeremiah Taeatafa Masoli
    American CFL football player
  • Jeremiah Goodman
    American illustrator
  • Jeremiah Jordan Rivers
    American basketball player; son of coach Doc Rivers
  • Jeremiah Raber
    Amish man on reality TV series "Breaking Amish"
  • Jeremiah "Jere" Cohan
    American actor
  • Jeremiah Scott "Jair" Willis (b. 1993)
    second child (1st son) of the family band The Willis Clan
  • Jeremiah Robert Duggar (b. 1998)
    11th child (6th son) of the reality TV's Duggar family; twin of brother Jedidiah
  • Jeremiah Gray (b. 2001)
    son of NFL player and pastor Derwin Gray
  • Jeremiah Wynn (b. 2007)
    son of NFL player Jarius Wynn
  • Jeremiah Angel Solomon (b. 2009)
    octuplet of Nadya Suleman
  • Jeremiah McDonald (b. 2012)
    son of professional soccer player Jessica McDonald

Jeremiah in Pop Culture

  • Jeremiah Fisher
    character in Jenny Han's "The Summer I Turned Pretty"
  • Jeremiah Kincaid
    character from movie "So Dear to My Heart"
  • Jeremiah Tortoise
    character on TV series "Bear in the Big Blue House"
  • Jeremiah "Jem" Merlyn
    character in Daphne du Maurier's "Jamaica Inn"
  • Jeremiah Danvers
    character on TV's "Supergirl"
  • Jonah Jeremiah "JJ" Jones
    character on British TV series "Skins"
  • "Jeremiah was a bullfrog
    " first line of the song "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night
  • "Jeremiah
    " TV series and its main character
  • Jeremiah "Jeremy" Heere
    character in "Be More Chill"
  • Jeremiah "Miah" Roselind
    character in the novel "If You Come Softly" by Jacqueline Woodson
  • Jeremiah “Jemmy” Alexander Ian Fraser Mackenzie
    character in the “Outlander” novel and TV series