Keziah is a Hebrew name. Keziah was a daughter of Job in the Hebrew Bible. A number of etymologies have been suggested, among them the Hebrew for Cassia, from the name for the spice tree.
In the United Kingdom, the name Kezia is now unusual, but it was more common in Victorian times. In 1890, the births of 137 children named Kezia were registered in England; in 1990, only 40 were.[1] More recently the name has become unisex despite its origin such as the musician Keziah Jones. Keziah has also found its way into modern literature in the book Keziah Dane by Sue Grafton.[2]
Keziah was also used as a female first name in the United States in the nineteenth century. For example, Keziah Brevard ran a plantation in South Carolina in the 1850s and 60s;[3] Keziah Brower lived on farms near Madison, Wisconsin and Vermillion, Dakota Territory [now South Dakota] in the 1850s, 60s, and 70s.[4]
Keziah is a person in the Hebrew Bible. She was the second of the three daughters born to Job after his sufferings (Job 42:14). Her elder sister was Jemima and her younger sister Keren-Happuch.
A number of etymologies have been suggested for her name, among them the Hebrew for Cassia, from the name for the spice tree. The name has been taken to symbolize female equality, since all of Job's three daughters received an inheritance from their father, an unusual circumstance in a time period when women and men were not treated equally.