Issam
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "protector" or "safeguard".
Name Census estimates that about 204 living Americans carry the first name Issam. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Issam today is around 19 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Issam births was 2021 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Issam. 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 Issam with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
204
~ 1 in 1,680,168 Americans
Peak year
2021
13 babies that year
Average age
19
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,985
Tracked since 1975
Census
Issam in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,226 people with the first name Issam, which placed it at #10,724 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
#10,724
National first-name rank
People counted
1.2K
1,226 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
89.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Issam
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Issam is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Issam 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 Issam at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 1,100
- Two or more races4.6% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 23
- Black or African American1.8% · 22
Popularity
Issam: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Issam from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 74 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Issam remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Issam 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 Issam 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 Issam
The name Issam originates from the Arabic language and culture, with its roots tracing back to the Middle East and North Africa regions. It is derived from the Arabic word "issam," which means "safety" or "protection." This name holds deep cultural and religious significance in the Islamic tradition.
In ancient times, the name Issam was often bestowed upon newborns as a symbol of hope, with parents praying for their child's well-being and safety under the divine protection of Allah. The name's earliest recorded usage can be found in historical texts and manuscripts dating back to the 7th century, during the early days of Islamic civilization.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Issam was Issam ibn Malik al-Ghassani, a renowned Arab poet who lived in the 7th century CE. His poetic works, filled with wisdom and profound insights, were widely celebrated and have been preserved throughout the centuries.
Another notable figure in history was Issam al-Din al-Isfahani, a prominent Islamic scholar and jurist who lived during the 12th century CE. His contributions to the field of Islamic jurisprudence and his interpretations of religious texts were highly regarded in his time and continue to be studied by scholars today.
In the realm of literature, Issam Shammari was a celebrated Iraqi poet of the 20th century, known for his powerful and evocative verses that captured the essence of Arab culture and identity. His works have left an indelible mark on the literary landscape of the Middle East.
Issam El-Sarraj, a Palestinian psychologist and human rights activist, dedicated his life to promoting mental health and advocating for the rights of Palestinians. His pioneering work in the field of trauma counseling and his tireless efforts for peace and justice have earned him widespread recognition and respect.
Issam Fares, a Lebanese businessman and philanthropist, made significant contributions to the fields of education and cultural preservation. His philanthropic initiatives have supported numerous educational institutions and cultural organizations, leaving a lasting impact on the lives of many across the Middle East region.
These individuals, along with countless others throughout history, have carried the name Issam with pride and honor, leaving their mark on various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human culture and achievements.
People
Issam + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Issam 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
Issam: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Issam?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 204 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Issam 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 1,680,168 US residents.
Is Issam a common name?
We classify Issam as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 208 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Issam most popular?
The single biggest year for Issam was 2021, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Issam is about 19 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Issam in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,226 people with the name Issam, or 0.41 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,724 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 Issam 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 Issam?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Issam appears almost entirely male. Of the 1,221 people counted with this name, 99.5% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Issam?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Issam is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Issam most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Issam in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (1,100 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 Issam in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Issam a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Issam 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 Issam still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Issam 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 Issam 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 Americans are named Issam?
See how many Americans are named Issam on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.