Ishaaq
An Arabic name derived from Hebrew meaning "he will laugh".
Name Census estimates that about 153 living Americans carry the first name Ishaaq. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ishaaq today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ishaaq births was 2022 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ishaaq. 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 Ishaaq with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
153
~ 1 in 2,240,224 Americans
Peak year
2022
16 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,315
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Ishaaq: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ishaaq 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 80 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ishaaq remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ishaaq 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 Ishaaq during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ishaaqs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ishaaq
The name Ishaaq has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, tracing back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Semitic root word "ḍ-ḥ-k," which means "to laugh" or "to rejoice." The name Ishaaq is a variant spelling of the name Isaac, which has Biblical roots and is found in the Old Testament.
One of the earliest and most significant references to the name Ishaaq is in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam. In the Quran, Ishaaq is mentioned as the son of the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his wife Sarah. According to Islamic tradition, Ishaaq was born miraculously to his elderly parents and was considered a gift from God.
The name Ishaaq has been used throughout history by various individuals of Arab and Islamic descent. One of the earliest recorded examples is Ishaaq ibn Hunayn (808-873 CE), a renowned Nestorian Christian scholar and translator who played a crucial role in the transmission of Greek knowledge to the Islamic world during the Abbasid caliphate.
Another notable figure bearing the name Ishaaq was Ishaaq ibn Amran (9th century CE), a renowned mathematician and astronomer from Baghdad. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics, including the development of advanced trigonometric methods and the calculation of planetary positions.
In the 12th century, Ishaaq ibn Rahwayh (778-853 CE) was a prominent Islamic scholar and hadith collector from Nishapur, Iran. He was renowned for his vast knowledge of hadith (the sayings and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad) and his dedication to preserving and transmitting these teachings.
During the 13th century, Ishaaq al-Israili (832-932 CE) was a celebrated Jewish philosopher and physician from Egypt. He made significant contributions to the field of medicine and is considered one of the most influential Jewish scholars of the medieval period.
Another notable individual with the name Ishaaq was Ishaaq ibn Ibrahim al-Naqib (1213-1283 CE), a Sufi mystic and poet from Damascus, Syria. His poetic works, infused with spiritual themes and mystical symbolism, have left a lasting impact on Arabic literature.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Ishaaq, a name that carries rich cultural and religious significance, particularly within the Arab and Islamic traditions.
People
Ishaaq + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ishaaq 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
Ishaaq: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ishaaq?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 153 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ishaaq 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 2,240,224 US residents.
Is Ishaaq a common name?
We classify Ishaaq as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 154 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ishaaq most popular?
The single biggest year for Ishaaq was 2022, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ishaaq is about 10 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 Ishaaq in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ishaaq a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ishaaq 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 Ishaaq still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ishaaq 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 Ishaaq 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 the name Ishaaq?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Ishaaq on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.