Jeremiah comes from the Hebrew name יִרְמְיָהוּ (Yirmiyahu) meaning "Yahweh has uplifted". In the bible, he was one of the major prophets in the Old Testament who wrote the Book of Jeremiah as well as the Book of Lamentations. He lived in the 6th century BC during the time of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem.
In England, the Protestant Reformation brought about the usage of a lot of names that were later carried to Colonial America with the pilgrims. Jeremiah was one of those names. However, the shorter variation Jeremy was sometimes used since the 13th century in England.
Overall, Jeremy has had much more usage in the US than Jeremiah, but currently, their roles have swapped. Jeremiah has climbed the charts to #58 in 2013 while Jeremy's popularity of the 1970s-1980s has declined. Jeremy ranked at #159 in 2013 whereas it once ranked as high as #14 in 1976.
Jeremiah had a small peak of popularity in the late 70s during Jeremy's heyday but it is currently seeing its highest numbers ever, even though it has been in solid usage since 1880. Possible nicknames could include Jere/Jer, Jerry, Jem, Jeremy, Miah.
What do you think of Jeremiah? Or would you prefer Jeremy? If you're in the market for some sibling or middle name ideas, here's some I came up with:
Sibling Name Ideas:
Sisters: Elizabeth, Hadassah, Leah, Michaela, Ruth, Simone
Brothers: Benjamin, Ezra, Isaac, Jonathan, Malachi, Noah
Middle Name Ideas:
As a Middle Name:
What middle names would you pair with Jeremiah? Share your thoughts in the comments below!