Israyel
A masculine name meaning "one who struggles with God".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Israyel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Israyel today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Israyel births was 2006 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Israyel. 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 Israyel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
2006
7 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2006 SSA rank
#9,975
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Israyel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Israyel 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 Israyel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Israyel
The given name Israyel is derived from the Hebrew name Yisra'el, which means "one who struggles with God" or "God contends". It is a Biblical name that originated in ancient Israel, dating back to around the 2nd millennium BCE.
The name Israyel is first mentioned in the Book of Genesis, where it is given to the patriarch Jacob after he wrestles with an angel of God. According to the Biblical account, Jacob's name was changed to Israel as a sign of his spiritual struggle and his eventual triumph over adversity.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Israyel was Israyel ben Eliezer, a prominent Jewish scholar who lived in the 16th century CE. He was a renowned authority on Jewish law and authored several influential works on Jewish legal codes and traditions.
Another notable figure with the name Israyel was Israyel Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Hasidic movement in Judaism. He lived in the 18th century CE and is revered for his teachings on spirituality, mysticism, and the importance of joy and devotion in religious practice.
In the 19th century, Israyel Jacobson was a prominent Jewish educator and advocate for Jewish emancipation in Germany. He established several modern Jewish schools and played a significant role in promoting secular education among Jews in Europe.
During the 20th century, Israyel Meir Lau was a renowned Israeli rabbi and scholar who served as the Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1993 to 2003. He was also a Holocaust survivor and played a crucial role in preserving Jewish traditions and promoting interfaith dialogue.
Another notable figure with the name Israyel was Israyel Kristal, who was recognized as the world's oldest living man by the Guinness World Records in 2016 at the age of 113. He was a Holocaust survivor who lived through the Auschwitz concentration camp and survived to become a centenarian.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Israyel, a name steeped in religious and cultural significance, tracing its origins back to the ancient Hebrew scriptures and the founding patriarch of the Israelites.
People
Israyel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Israyel 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
Israyel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Israyel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Israyel 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Israyel a common name?
We classify Israyel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Israyel most popular?
The single biggest year for Israyel was 2006, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Israyel is about 20 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 Israyel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Israyel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Israyel 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 Israyel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Israyel 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 Israyel 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 Israyel as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Israyel, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.