Ishak
A masculine name meaning "he will laugh" or "he laughs", derived from Hebrew.
Name Census estimates that about 72 living Americans carry the first name Ishak. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ishak today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ishak births was 2023 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ishak. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ishak. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
72
~ 1 in 4,760,477 Americans
Peak year
2023
11 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,981
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Ishak: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ishak 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 40 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ishak remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ishak 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 Ishak 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 Ishak
The name Ishak has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, and it is a variant spelling of the biblical name Isaac. The name is derived from the Hebrew root word "yitshaq," which means "he laughs" or "he rejoices." This name has been in use for centuries and has been recorded in various historical texts and religious scriptures.
The Bible, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, mentions the name Isaac as the son of Abraham and Sarah. Isaac is an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, and his name is revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. The Quran also mentions the name Ishaq (the Arabic spelling of Isaac) as a prophet and a righteous servant of God.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ishak can be found in the works of the 9th-century Islamic scholar and historian, Al-Tabari. His book, "Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk" (History of Prophets and Kings), contains references to Ishak as the son of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham).
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Ishak. One of the most famous was Ishak ibn Hunayn, a 9th-century Arab scholar and physician who lived in Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age. He was renowned for his translations of Greek medical texts into Arabic and for his contributions to the fields of medicine and philosophy.
Another prominent figure was Ishak al-Mawsili, an Arab musician and singer who lived in the 8th century. He is considered one of the greatest musicians of the Abbasid period and is credited with developing the systematic theory of music in the Islamic world.
In the realm of literature, Ishak al-Tawil was a 10th-century Arab poet and writer from Baghdad. His works, which included poetry and prose, were highly influential and widely celebrated during his lifetime.
The name Ishak also appears in the annals of Islamic jurisprudence. Ishak ibn Rahwayh, a 9th-century Islamic scholar and jurist from Nishapur, Iran, was a prominent figure in the study and interpretation of Islamic law and traditions.
Lastly, Ishak Pasha was a 16th-century Ottoman statesman and grand vizier who served under Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. He was renowned for his military campaigns and his contributions to the expansion and administration of the Ottoman Empire.
People
Ishak + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ishak 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
Ishak: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ishak?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 72 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ishak 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 4,760,477 US residents.
Is Ishak a common name?
We classify Ishak as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 73 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ishak most popular?
The single biggest year for Ishak was 2023, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ishak is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ishak a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ishak 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.