Isak
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "he will laugh".
Name Census estimates that about 1,054 living Americans carry the first name Isak. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Isak today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Isak births was 2004 (57 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Isak. 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.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 325,194 Americans
Peak year
2004
57 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,109
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Isak: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Isak from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 433 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Isak 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 Isak during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Isaks live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, Minnesota recorded the most babies named Isak, while Indiana, Washington, Minnesota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 33 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Isak
The name Isak has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture. It is a variant spelling of the biblical name Isaac, which is derived from the Hebrew word "yitshaq" meaning "he laughs" or "he rejoices." The name first appeared in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible, where Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah, and was an important figure in the Abrahamic religions.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Isak can be found in the Hebrew Bible, which dates back to around the 6th century BCE. In the Bible, Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah, and was an important figure in the Abrahamic religions. He was also the father of Jacob and Esau, and is considered a patriarch in both Judaism and Christianity.
Over the centuries, the name Isak has been used by many notable figures throughout history. One of the most famous was Isak Abravanel (1437-1508), a Jewish philosopher, biblical commentator, and statesman who served as a finance minister in Portugal and Spain. Another notable bearer of the name was Isak Muddiman (1594-1672), an English academic and theologian who served as the President of St John's College, Oxford.
In the field of science, Isak Newton (1642-1727) was a renowned English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, and natural philosopher who is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists of all time. He is best known for his work on the laws of motion, universal gravitation, and the development of calculus.
In the realm of literature, Isak Dinesen (1885-1962) was the pen name of Karen Blixen, a Danish author who wrote numerous works of fiction, including the famous memoir "Out of Africa." Her stories often explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition.
Another notable bearer of the name was Isak Fried (1876-1941), a Polish-born Jewish architect who was instrumental in the development of the Art Nouveau style in Warsaw. His most famous works include the Sosnowski Palace and the Klosinski Palace, both of which are considered architectural masterpieces.
These are just a few examples of the many notable figures throughout history who have borne the name Isak, a name that has its roots in the Hebrew language and culture, and has been used across various cultures and time periods.
People
Isak + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Isak 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
Isak: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Isak?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,054 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Isak 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 325,194 US residents.
Is Isak a common name?
We classify Isak as "Rare". It ranks above 90.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,068 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Isak most popular?
The single biggest year for Isak was 2004, when 57 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Isak is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Isak a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Isak 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.
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.