Eissa
A masculine Arabic name meaning "Jesus".
Name Census estimates that about 147 living Americans carry the first name Eissa. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Eissa today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Eissa births was 2017 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Eissa. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Eissa with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
147
~ 1 in 2,331,662 Americans
Peak year
2017
27 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,278
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Eissa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Eissa from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 79 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Eissa by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Eissa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Eissas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Eissa
The name Eissa has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is a variation of the name Isa, which is the Arabic form of the name Jesus. The name Isa itself is derived from the Hebrew name Yeshua, which means "God is salvation" or "God is deliverance."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Eissa can be found in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. In the Quran, Eissa is referred to as a prophet and messenger of God, and is revered as a significant figure in Islamic tradition.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Eissa. One of the earliest recorded figures was Eissa ibn Maryam, a 7th-century Muslim scholar and religious leader from Medina. He was known for his expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and his contributions to the study of hadith, the record of the sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad.
Another prominent figure with the name Eissa was Eissa al-Nuri (1611-1670), a Sufi mystic and poet from Damascus. He was renowned for his spiritual writings and his influence on the development of Sufism, a mystical tradition within Islam.
In the 19th century, Eissa Effendi Rami (1810-1888) was a prominent Lebanese scholar and philosopher. He was known for his work in promoting education and cultural reform in the Ottoman Empire, and his efforts to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western thought.
More recently, Eissa Al-Ghannam (1924-2010) was a Kuwaiti writer and journalist who played a significant role in the literary and cultural life of Kuwait. He was celebrated for his novels, short stories, and essays, which often explored themes of identity, tradition, and modernity in the Arab world.
Eissa Bokarr (1944-2009) was a Gambian diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Gambia from 1994 to 1997. He was instrumental in strengthening the Gambia's international relations and promoting its interests on the global stage.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Eissa throughout history, reflecting its rich cultural and historical significance within the Arabic-speaking world.
People
Eissa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Eissa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Eissa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Eissa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 147 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Eissa going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,331,662 US residents.
Is Eissa a common name?
We classify Eissa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 148 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Eissa most popular?
The single biggest year for Eissa was 2017, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Eissa is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Eissa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Eissa a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Eissa in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Eissa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Eissa in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Eissa can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Eissa as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Eissa on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.