Isra
An Arabic name meaning "night journey" or "nocturnal travel."
Name Census estimates that about 1,621 living Americans carry the first name Isra. It is a predominantly female name (99.0% of registrations). The average person named Isra today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Isra births was 2024 (136 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Isra. 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 Isra with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Isra is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 13 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.6K
~ 1 in 211,446 Americans
Peak year
2024
136 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,614
Tracked since 1985
Census
Isra in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,290 people with the first name Isra, which placed it at #10,377 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
#10,377
National first-name rank
People counted
1.3K
1,290 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
34.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Isra
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Isra is Asian/Pacific Islander at 34.0%. The next largest groups are Black (30.9%) and White (24.9%). 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 Isra 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 Isra at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander34.0% · 438
- Black or African American30.9% · 398
- White24.9% · 321
- Two or more races5.8% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 4
Gender
Gender distribution for Isra
Isra leans heavily female at 99.0% of total registrations, but 17 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Isra as a male name
- Ranked #10,261 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (7 births)
Isra as a female name
- Ranked #1,614 in 2024
- 129 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (129 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Isra leans strongly female. 1,206 people counted with this name were female (93.0%), compared with 91 male bearers (7.0%).
Popularity
Isra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Isra from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 616 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Isra 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 Isra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Isras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. Minnesota, California, New York recorded the most babies named Isra, while Pennsylvania, Oregon, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 55 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Isra
The given name Isra originates from Arabic and Islamic culture, with its roots traced back to the 7th century CE. It is believed to be derived from the Arabic word "isra," which means "night journey" or "nocturnal travel." This name holds significant religious and historical connotations within the Islamic faith.
The name Isra is closely associated with the miraculous night journey of Prophet Muhammad, which is referred to as "Isra and Mi'raj" in Islamic tradition. According to Islamic belief, Prophet Muhammad was miraculously transported from Mecca to Jerusalem and then ascended to the heavens, where he received divine revelations. This event is commemorated as a significant milestone in the Islamic faith and is celebrated annually by Muslims worldwide.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Isra can be found in the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam. The name is mentioned in the 17th chapter, titled "Al-Isra," which narrates the story of Prophet Muhammad's miraculous night journey. This chapter holds great significance in Islamic theology and serves as a source of inspiration for many Muslims to name their children Isra.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Isra. One prominent figure was Isra al-Samarra'i (1890-1968), an Iraqi scholar and poet known for his contributions to Arabic literature and his efforts in preserving Islamic heritage. Another notable bearer of this name was Isra al-Modather (1902-1950), a pioneering Sudanese feminist, educator, and activist who played a crucial role in advocating for women's rights and education in Sudan.
In more recent times, Isra Al Modather (born 1988) is a Sudanese-British journalist and writer who has received recognition for her work in highlighting issues related to race, identity, and social justice. Additionally, Isra Zghair (born 1995) is a Lebanese swimmer who represented Lebanon at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The name Isra has also been carried by historical figures outside the Arab and Islamic world. For instance, Isra Shubashi (1882-1951) was a renowned Egyptian feminist and writer who advocated for women's rights and education during the early 20th century.
While the name Isra has its roots in Arabic and Islamic culture, it has transcended linguistic and cultural boundaries, becoming a name appreciated and embraced by diverse communities worldwide. Its historical and religious significance within Islam, coupled with its melodic sound, has contributed to its enduring popularity across generations.
People
Isra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Isra 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
Isra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Isra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,621 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Isra 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 211,446 US residents.
Is Isra a common name?
We classify Isra as "Rare". It ranks above 92.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,639 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Isra most popular?
The single biggest year for Isra was 2024, when 136 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Isra is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Isra in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,290 people with the name Isra, or 0.43 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,377 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 Isra 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 Isra?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Isra leans strongly female. 1,206 people counted with this name were female (93.0%), compared with 91 male bearers (7.0%). 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 Isra?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Isra is Asian/Pacific Islander at 34.0%. The next largest groups are Black (30.9%) and White (24.9%). 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 Isra most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Isra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 34.0% (438 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 Isra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Isra a female name?
Yes, 99.0% of people registered as Isra 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 Isra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Isra 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 Isra 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 Isra?
You can see how many Americans are named Isra on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.