Why was it so special that John the baptist was not called Zechariah? After reading 2 chronicles 1-8 (many, many names) I was surprised that noone had the same name as their father, or grand father. 

I remembered the story of Zechariah not being able to talk until he told the name of his son, John. The people who heard the name were surprised because no one in the family had the name John.

Why was this so surprising, because in the lists of names in the bible, I do not find people having the same name as their father?
I'd like to suggest it has much deeper meaning than most have considered.  Names are, indeed, very important in the Bible. When one hears the name &quot;John&quot; in terms of the Bible, there are 2 John's that come to mind instantly. This conection, I believe, must be intended.  It is interesting that John, the apostle, quotes many times from the Book of Zechariah...now where have I heard that name before? ;) Why does it matter?  Well, for eschatological reasons, as John the apostle was chosen to write the Book of Revelation in which he describes the events leading up to Christ's second advent. Who was it that spoke of Christ's first advent?  Yes, the other John. One more connection and I will leave you to prayerfully consider what I have shared.  John Baptist was the &quot;Elijah forerunner&quot; of Christ's first advent, and there is another &quot;Elijah&quot; forerunner expected &quot;before the great and terrible day of YHVH&quot;...in the Book of Rev., John states, &quot;I John, your brother and fellow participant in THE [emphasis mine] Tribulation...&quot;  &quot;Word play&quot; is common throughout the Scriptures, and it seems to me this can't be &quot;coincidence.&quot; The John-John link was intentional to connect the &quot;Elijah forerunner&quot; to the Book of Revelation.  My thoughts. shalom