Izrael
A Hebrew name meaning "struggles with God" or "one who strives with God".
Name Census estimates that about 1,186 living Americans carry the first name Izrael. It is a predominantly male name (99.2% of registrations). The average person named Izrael today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Izrael births was 2023 (95 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Izrael. 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
- • Izrael is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 12 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 289,000 Americans
Peak year
2023
95 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,571
Tracked since 1994
Gender
Gender distribution for Izrael
Out of the 1,196 babies given the name Izrael since 1880, 99.2% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Izrael as a male name
- Ranked #2,571 in 2024
- 52 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (90 births)
Izrael as a female name
- Ranked #16,130 in 2023
- 5 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2017 (5 births)
Popularity
Izrael: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Izrael from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 524 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Izrael remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Izrael 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 Izrael during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Izraels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, Texas, Arizona recorded the most babies named Izrael, while Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Colorado recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 69 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Izrael
The given name Izrael originates from the Hebrew language, with its roots tracing back to ancient times in the Middle East. The name is derived from the biblical Hebrew words "Yisra'el," meaning "one who struggles with God" or "God contends." It is closely associated with the biblical patriarch Jacob, who was later renamed Israel after wrestling with an angel.
The name Izrael has a rich history within the Judeo-Christian tradition and has been mentioned numerous times in religious scriptures such as the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the Christian Bible. It is the name given to the ancient Israelites, the descendants of Jacob, and is deeply intertwined with the history and culture of the Jewish people.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Izrael can be found in the Book of Genesis, which recounts the story of Jacob's renaming. Over the centuries, the name has been borne by numerous prominent figures across various cultures and religions.
Among the notable individuals named Izrael throughout history are:
1. Izrael Baal Shem Tov (c. 1698-1760), the founder of the Hasidic Jewish movement.
2. Izrael Poznański (1833-1900), a Polish-Jewish industrialist and philanthropist.
3. Izrael Matveyevich Poznanski, a Russian-Jewish architect active in the late 19th century.
4. Izrael Shahak (1933-2001), an Israeli writer and civil rights activist.
5. Izrael Shtern (1917-1991), a Soviet-Russian painter and artist.
While the name Izrael has its roots in ancient Hebrew, it has been adopted and adapted by various cultures over time, with slight variations in spelling and pronunciation. Nevertheless, the name continues to carry a rich historical and cultural significance, particularly within the Jewish tradition, serving as a reminder of the enduring legacy of the biblical narrative.
People
Izrael + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Izrael 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
Izrael: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Izrael?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,186 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Izrael 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 289,000 US residents.
Is Izrael a common name?
We classify Izrael as "Rare". It ranks above 91.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,196 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Izrael most popular?
The single biggest year for Izrael was 2023, when 95 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Izrael is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Izrael a male name?
Yes, 99.2% of people registered as Izrael 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.