Ezra
/ˈɛz.rə/noun
A biblical Hebrew personal name, especially associated with Ezra the priest and scribe who led a Jewish community back to Jerusalem.
Did you know?Ezra is traditionally understood as a shortened form related to the Hebrew root ʿ-z-r, “to help,” which also appears in names such as Azariah and Ebenezer.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*ʿ-z-r
“To help or provide assistance; a reconstructed Semitic root”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
עֶזְרָא (ʿEzrāʾ)
“Ezra; a personal name associated with help”
5th Century BCE
Hebrew
Ezra
“The priest and scribe Ezra, a central figure in the Hebrew Bible’s post-exilic restoration narrative”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Ἔσδρας (Esdras)
“Ezra; the Greek form used in biblical translations”
Late Antiquity
Latin
Esdras
“The Latin biblical form of Ezra”
Middle English onward
English
Ezra
“A personal name adopted into English from the biblical tradition”