Ishi
A unisex Japanese name meaning "stone" or "rock."
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the first name Ishi. It is a predominantly female name (94.1% of registrations). The average person named Ishi today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ishi births was 2014 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ishi. 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 Ishi with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
118
~ 1 in 2,904,698 Americans
Peak year
2014
13 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
1979 SSA rank
#5,049
Tracked since 1979
Census
Ishi in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 198 people with the first name Ishi, which placed it at #38,638 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#38,638
National first-name rank
People counted
198
198 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
69.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ishi
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ishi is Asian/Pacific Islander at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Hispanic (8.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ishi described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ishi at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander69.2% · 137
- Black or African American10.1% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino8.1% · 16
- White7.1% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.0% · 8
- Two or more races1.5% · 3
Gender
Gender distribution for Ishi
Ishi leans heavily female at 94.1% of total registrations, but 7 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Ishi as a male name
- Ranked #5,049 in 1979
- 7 male births in 1979
- Peak: 1979 (7 births)
Ishi as a female name
- Ranked #11,577 in 2023
- 8 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2014 (13 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ishi leans strongly female. 160 people counted with this name were female (82.1%), compared with 35 male bearers (17.9%).
Popularity
Ishi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ishi from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 79 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
Ishi 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 Ishi 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 Ishi
The name Ishi is believed to have originated from the Japanese language. It is a unisex name that can be used for both boys and girls. The name is derived from the Japanese word "ishi," which means "stone" or "rock." This suggests that the name may have been associated with strength, durability, and resilience.
In Japanese culture, stones and rocks have often been associated with endurance, longevity, and the ability to withstand the test of time. As a result, the name Ishi may have been given to children with the hope that they would possess similar qualities of perseverance and fortitude.
While the exact origins of the name Ishi are not entirely clear, it is believed to have been in use in Japan for several centuries. However, there are no known references to the name in ancient Japanese texts or historical records.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Ishi was Ishi Sakuru, a Japanese samurai who lived in the 16th century. He was known for his bravery and loyalty during the Sengoku period, a turbulent era of constant military conflict in Japan.
Another notable figure with the name Ishi was Ishi Kiyohiko, a renowned Japanese artist and woodblock print maker who lived in the late 19th century. His works, which often depicted scenes from traditional Japanese life, are highly regarded and can be found in various museums and collections around the world.
In the 20th century, Ishi Katsuhiko was a Japanese politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1947 to 1963. He was known for his advocacy of social welfare policies and his efforts to promote education and literacy in rural areas of Japan.
Another individual with the name Ishi was Ishi Masami, a Japanese cyclist who competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Although she did not win a medal, her participation in the Games was considered a significant achievement at the time.
Lastly, Ishi Kurumi was a Japanese writer and poet who gained recognition in the late 20th century for her poignant works that explored themes of identity, love, and the human condition. Her poetry collections were widely acclaimed and earned her numerous literary awards.
While the name Ishi may have its roots in Japanese culture, it has transcended borders and can be found in various parts of the world today. However, its connection to the concept of strength and resilience remains a common thread, making it a name that resonates with many individuals and cultures.
People
Ishi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ishi 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
Ishi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ishi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 118 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ishi 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 2,904,698 US residents.
Is Ishi a common name?
We classify Ishi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 119 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ishi most popular?
The single biggest year for Ishi was 2014, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ishi is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ishi in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 198 people with the name Ishi, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #38,638 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ishi in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ishi?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ishi leans strongly female. 160 people counted with this name were female (82.1%), compared with 35 male bearers (17.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ishi?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ishi is Asian/Pacific Islander at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Black (10.1%) and Hispanic (8.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ishi most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Ishi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.2% (137 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Ishi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ishi a female name?
Yes, 94.1% of people registered as Ishi in the SSA data are female. 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 Ishi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ishi 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 Ishi 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.
How many people are called Ishi?
You can see how many people share the name Ishi on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.