Jedediah

Jedediah is a masculine given name of Hebrew origin, a variant of Jedidiah, meaning “beloved of the Lord” or “friend of God.” In the Bible, Jedidiah is the name the prophet Nathan gives to Solomon. The form Jedediah has appeared in English since the early modern period and has been used in various cultures and over time in geographic and literary contexts.

Notable people named Jedediah include Jedediah Smith, an American explorer and fur trader of the early 19th century who helped open overland routes to the American West; Jedediah Morse, an American minister and geographer, and the father of Samuel Morse; Jedediah Hotchkiss, a 19th-century American photographer and Confederate Army officer who contributed as a topographer; Jedediah Berry, an American author known for The Manual of Detection; and Jedediah Bila, a television host and political commentator. The name has also appeared in other fields, including literature and journalism.

In popular culture, Jedediah is the name of a fictional miniature cowboy character in the Night at the Museum film series, portrayed with a comical partnership with a character named Octavius. The name also appears in place names and memorials connected to the explorer Jedediah Smith, including the Jedediah Smith Memorial Highway, California State Route 199, which runs through the redwoods region, and the nearby Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, named in his honor.

See also: Jedidiah, alternative spelling and related given name forms.