Ismeal
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "God listens" or "God hears".
Name Census estimates that about 80 living Americans carry the first name Ismeal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ismeal today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ismeal births was 1989 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ismeal. 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 Ismeal. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
80
~ 1 in 4,284,429 Americans
Peak year
1989
7 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2007 SSA rank
#10,184
Tracked since 1955
Popularity
Ismeal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ismeal from the 1950s through to the 2000s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 34 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Ismeal remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ismeal 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 Ismeal 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 Ismeal
The name Ismeal has its roots in the Arabic language and culture, originating in the Middle East during ancient times. It is derived from the word "Isma'il," which means "God has hearkened" or "God hears."
This name holds significant religious significance in Islam, as it is the Arabic form of the biblical name Ishmael. Ishmael was the firstborn son of the prophet Abraham, as mentioned in the Quran and the Bible. He is considered an important figure in both Islam and Judaism, and his name is revered by followers of these faiths.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Ismeal can be found in the Quran, where Ishmael is mentioned as the son of Abraham and Hagar. The Quran speaks highly of Ishmael, describing him as a patient and obedient son who helped his father build the Kaaba, the sacred site in Mecca.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ismeal or its variations. One of the most famous was Ismael I (1487-1524), the founder of the Safavid Dynasty in Persia (present-day Iran). He established Shia Islam as the state religion and played a significant role in the cultural and political development of the region.
Another notable figure was Ismail I (1057-1087), the first ruler of the Seljuk Empire, which spanned parts of modern-day Turkey, Iran, and Central Asia. He is remembered for his military conquests and his efforts to revive Sunni Islam in the region.
In the realm of literature, Ismael (1908-1994) was the pen name of the influential Brazilian writer Alfredo Borges de Matos. His novel "Vidas Secas" (Barren Lives) is considered a masterpiece of Brazilian literature and a seminal work in the regionalist movement.
Ismail Kadare (born 1936) is an Albanian novelist and poet, widely regarded as one of the most influential writers in the Balkans. His works, such as "The General of the Dead Army" and "The Palace of Dreams," explore themes of totalitarianism, history, and the human condition.
Ismail Merchant (1936-2005) was an Indian-born film producer and director, best known for his collaborations with director James Ivory and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Their films, including "A Room with a View" and "Howards End," brought critical acclaim and introduced Western audiences to Indian literature and culture.
People
Ismeal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ismeal 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
Ismeal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ismeal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 80 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ismeal 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 4,284,429 US residents.
Is Ismeal a common name?
We classify Ismeal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 61.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 85 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ismeal most popular?
The single biggest year for Ismeal was 1989, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ismeal is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ismeal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ismeal 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.