Ezra: meaning and UK use

What does Ezra mean?

Ezra derives from a Hebrew word for help. Ezrah is a recorded spelling variant.

Language or name family covered

Hebrew

Meaning or derivation

Help

Our browsing group

boy; vintage, international

Browsing groups describe our editorial shortlist, not rules about who may use a name. A name can cross languages and genders.

Sources for this entry — reviewed 2026-10-07:

• Behind the Name — Ezra

Pronunciation and related forms

EZ-ruh (English)

English respellings are approximate; IPA is labelled where used. Follow the pronunciation a person or family chooses, and check it with a speaker of the intended language if that connection matters to you.

Related forms recorded in the reference: Ezrah. These may be full forms, diminutives or forms in another language; they are not necessarily pronounced alike or counted together in statistics.

How popular is Ezra?

In 2025, 1,300 baby boys in England and Wales were registered as Ezra, making it the 38th most popular boys’ name. That is the same position as in 2024. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it ranked 127th, so it has climbed 89 places in a decade. That equals its highest ranking in the ONS series, which starts in 1996. These figures cover England and Wales, not the whole UK.

2025 rank (boys)

38th

2025 registrations

1,300

Best rank in this series

38th (2025)

Every year from 1996 to 2025

Ezra: rank and number of baby boys by year (ONS)

Year	Rank	Babies
2025	38	1,300
2024	38	1,339
2023	38	1,345
2022	46	1,217
2021	51	1,226
2020	59	1,105
2019	60	1,105
2018	59	1,118
2017	81	827
2016	91	763
2015	127	502
2014	213	266
2013	295	151
2012	359	120
2011	441	86
2010	406	96
2009	476	75
2008	500	69
2007	543	57
2006	582	50
2005	605	44
2004	688	34
2003	599	37
2002	753	25
2001	883	19
2000	480	41
1999	563	33
1998	571	32
1997	567	31
1996	633	25

The sum of published counts in this 1996–2025 boys series is 13,138. This is a lower bound where years are suppressed, not the number of living people with the name. A best rank is the best position within this series; it does not establish an all-time record.

Sources: ONS release, 2025; girls' dataset; boys' dataset. Our 20 top-ten positions were checked against Table 1 in the 2025 workbooks. The history chart and spelling comparisons come from the separate ONS 1996–2025 workbook, checked 7 October 2026. Spelling variants are separate entries. Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate statistics.

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Names to compare with Ezra

These suggestions share a browsing group and one or more of our style tags or source-context labels. They are taste comparisons, not etymological relatives or a popularity ranking.

• Cianinternational, vintage · Ancient or enduring
• Reubenvintage · Behold, a son
• Aaravinternational · Crying, howling or noise
• Albievintage · A short form of Albert
• Alfievintage · A short form of Alfred
• Archievintage · A short form of Archibald

Read the UK naming guide for the difference between inspiration lists and official statistics, or return to the full name finder.

Registering or changing the name

Once you decide on Ezra, confirm the registration process for your UK nation with the register office. If you later want to change a registered name, the route depends on the circumstances and may require consent from people with parental responsibility.

Start with GOV.UK birth registration or GOV.UK guidance on changing a child’s name. Our registration guide and child name-change guide explain where to find the relevant official process.