Yitzel
A Yiddish name originating as a diminutive version of Yitzchak.
Name Census estimates that about 184 living Americans carry the first name Yitzel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Yitzel today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yitzel births was 2011 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yitzel. 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.
People living today
184
~ 1 in 1,862,795 Americans
Peak year
2011
17 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2019 SSA rank
#17,913
Tracked since 1998
Popularity
Yitzel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Yitzel from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 93 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
Yitzel 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 Yitzel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Yitzels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Yitzel
The name Yitzel is a variation of the Hebrew name Yitzchak, derived from the biblical figure Isaac. It originated in ancient Israel and has its roots in the Hebrew language. The name Yitzchak is composed of two Hebrew words, "yitzchak" meaning "he will laugh" and "chak" meaning "to laugh or rejoice."
In the Book of Genesis, Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah, who was born to them in their old age. The name Yitzchak was given to him by God, signifying the joy and laughter that accompanied his birth. The name also carries a deeper spiritual meaning, symbolizing the ability to find joy and laughter even in times of adversity.
The earliest recorded use of the name Yitzchak can be traced back to the biblical narrative, approximately 2000 BCE. Throughout history, the name has been revered among Jewish communities worldwide, with variations such as Yitzhak, Yitzchok, and Yitzel being used.
Historically, several notable figures have borne the name Yitzel. One such individual was Yitzel ben Gamliel, a renowned Jewish scholar and sage who lived in the 1st century CE. He was a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court, and played a crucial role in the development of Rabbinic Judaism.
Another notable figure was Yitzel ben Eliezer, a 12th-century French Talmudic scholar and commentator. His works, particularly his commentary on the Talmud, had a significant impact on Jewish scholarship and continue to be studied and revered to this day.
In the 16th century, Yitzel Abrabanel (1437-1508) was a prominent Portuguese philosopher, biblical commentator, and statesman. He served as a finance minister for several monarchs and was known for his insightful commentaries on the Torah and other biblical texts.
The name Yitzel also appears in the 19th century with Yitzel Dov Ber Mandelstam (1797-1888), a Russian-Jewish scholar and author. He was a prominent figure in the Musar movement, which focused on ethical and moral development within Judaism.
In more recent times, Yitzel Feffer (1900-1970) was a Ukrainian-born Yiddish writer and playwright. He contributed significantly to the preservation and promotion of Yiddish literature, particularly through his plays and works that portrayed Jewish life in Eastern Europe.
While the name Yitzel may not be as common today as it was in previous centuries, it remains a cherished and significant name within Jewish communities worldwide, carrying with it a rich historical and cultural legacy rooted in the biblical narrative and Jewish tradition.
People
Yitzel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yitzel as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yitzel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yitzel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 184 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yitzel 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 1,862,795 US residents.
Is Yitzel a common name?
We classify Yitzel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 186 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yitzel most popular?
The single biggest year for Yitzel was 2011, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yitzel is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Yitzel a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yitzel 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.
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.