Nehemiah

Nehemiah walks in off the pages of scripture with a builder's calluses, the Hebrew Nehemyah meaning the Lord comforts. In the Old Testament he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem after the exile, a story of quiet, stubborn restoration. The name was an American rarity for most of the 20th century and has climbed steadily with the broader revival of long biblical names, now near 426. Four lilting syllables, the h's giving it breath, the final ah landing like a sigh. Nicknames include Ne, Nemo, Miah. It carries weight and tenderness at once, a name for a child building something slowly.