Isaiyah
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "salvation of the Lord".
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the first name Isaiyah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Isaiyah today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Isaiyah births was 2012 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Isaiyah. 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 Isaiyah with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
134
~ 1 in 2,557,868 Americans
Peak year
2012
14 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2023 SSA rank
#8,499
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Isaiyah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Isaiyah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 81 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Isaiyah 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 Isaiyah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Isaiyah
The name Isaiyah is derived from the Hebrew name Isaiah, which means "Yahweh is salvation" or "the Lord is salvation." The name's roots can be traced back to ancient times in the Middle East.
The name Isaiah is found in the Bible and is associated with the prophet Isaiah, who lived in the 8th century BC. He was one of the most prominent prophets in the Old Testament and his writings are recorded in the Book of Isaiah, which is part of the Hebrew Bible. The biblical prophet Isaiah played a significant role in the history of the Israelites and his prophecies are still studied and revered by many religious groups today.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Isaiyah can be found in the 12th century AD. Isaiyah ben Mali, also known as Rabbi Isaiah, was a prominent Jewish scholar and Biblical commentator who lived in Spain during the Golden Age of Jewish culture in the Iberian Peninsula.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Isaiyah or its variations. Here are five examples:
1. Isaiyah Berlin (1909-1997), a Russian-British philosopher and historian of ideas, known for his influential work on the concept of liberty and his contributions to the study of political theory and the history of ideas.
2. Isaiyah Thomas (born 1989), an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. He is a two-time NBA All-Star and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2012.
3. Isaiyah Neville (born 1992), an American actor and singer best known for his role as Little G in the Nickelodeon series "The Brothers Garcia" and his appearances in various TV shows and films.
4. Isaiyah Larue (1914-1986), an American jazz saxophonist and bandleader who played with various big bands and led his own ensemble in the 1940s and 1950s.
5. Isaiyah Willhite (born 1997), an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA. He was selected by the Hawks in the second round of the 2019 NBA draft.
These examples showcase the diverse range of individuals who have borne the name Isaiyah throughout history, from religious scholars and philosophers to athletes and entertainers.
People
Isaiyah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Isaiyah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Isaiyah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Isaiyah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 134 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Isaiyah 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 2,557,868 US residents.
Is Isaiyah a common name?
We classify Isaiyah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 135 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Isaiyah most popular?
The single biggest year for Isaiyah was 2012, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Isaiyah is about 14 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 Isaiyah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Isaiyah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Isaiyah 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 Isaiyah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Isaiyah 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 Isaiyah 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 Americans are named Isaiyah?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.