Ezekiel

The book that bears his name records visions of the divine chariot (merkavah), the valley of dry bones, and a future temple measured cubit by cubit.

His prophetic theatre, including lying on his side for 390 days and shaving his head with a sword, made him one of the most vivid figures of Israelite literature. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all venerate him, with the latter knowing him as Hizqil.

The name’s literary footprint is striking.

Quentin Tarantino placed a paraphrase of Ezekiel 25:17 in the mouth of Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction; Bob Marley drew imagery from the prophet across his catalog; the spiritual Ezekiel Saw the Wheel remains a cornerstone of Black gospel tradition.

Ezekiel Cheever was the seventeenth-century schoolmaster of colonial Boston, and characters named Ezekiel populate works from Moby-Dick to The Walking Dead, where King Ezekiel rules the Kingdom community.

In SSA rankings the name was rare for most of the twentieth century, hovering outside the top 500 until 1995.

It then surged through the 2000s and 2010s, entering the top 100 in 2010 and climbing past 50th by 2024, propelled by the same parents drawn to Isaiah, Elijah, and Josiah. The diminutive Zeke softens it for daily use.

Bearers include NFL running back Ezekiel Elliott, basketball guard Zeke LaVine, and characters across contemporary fiction and film. Few names balance Old Testament gravity with contemporary momentum so cleanly.