Find out how popular the first name Esmael has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Esmael by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Esmael is exclusively a male name.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 6 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Esmael.

The history of the first name Esmael

The name Esmael is derived from the Arabic name Ismail, which has its roots in the Semitic languages. It is derived from the Arabic words "sami'a" meaning "to hear" and "Allah" meaning "God". The name is thus interpreted as "God has hearkened" or "God has listened".

Ismail, and its variant spellings Esmael and Ismael, is a prominent name in Islamic tradition and has been used since ancient times. It is the name of the son of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his wife Hajar (Hagar) in the Islamic faith. The name is mentioned extensively in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Esmael can be found in the biblical Book of Genesis, where Ishmael is depicted as the firstborn son of Abraham. According to the biblical narrative, Ishmael was born to Abraham's wife Hagar, who was an Egyptian handmaiden.

Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Esmael or its variants. One of the most famous was Ismail I (1487-1524), the Shah of Persia and the founder of the Safavid dynasty, which ruled Persia (modern-day Iran) from 1501 to 1736.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Ismail Pasha (1830-1895), an Ottoman statesman and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Egypt from 1863 to 1867 and later as the Khedive (Viceroy) of Egypt and Sudan from 1867 to 1879.

In the 20th century, Ismail Yassine (1936-2010) was a prominent Moroccan philosopher and spiritual leader who founded the Islamic movement Al Adl Wal Ihssane (Justice and Spirituality).

Ismail Merchant (1936-2005) was an Indian-born American filmmaker who, along with his partner James Ivory, produced numerous critically acclaimed films, including "A Room with a View" and "Howards End".

Ismail Kadare (born 1936) is an Albanian novelist and poet who has been widely acclaimed for his works, including "The General of the Dead Army" and "The Pyramid". He was the first writer from the Albanian language to be awarded the prestigious Man Booker International Prize in 2005.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Esmael was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Esmael, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!