Find out how popular the last name Isa is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Isa.

Isa, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Isa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Isa in America

Isa is the 23920th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Isa surname appeared 1,055 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Isa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Isa to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Isa

The surname "Isa" has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the Arabic language. It is derived from the Arabic word "Isa," which means "Jesus" or "messenger of God." The name's earliest roots can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the rise of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula.

In the early days of Islamic history, "Isa" was used as a personal name by some Arabs who embraced the Islamic faith. As the name gained popularity, it eventually evolved into a surname, particularly among Arab communities in the Levant region, which includes modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Isa" can be found in the 10th century CE, in a manuscript from the Abbasid Caliphate, which ruled over a vast territory stretching from North Africa to Central Asia. The manuscript mentions a scholar named Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Isa, who lived in Baghdad during the reign of the Abbasid Caliph al-Muqtadir.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the surname "Isa" became more widespread across the Muslim world, appearing in various historical records and chronicles. In the 12th century, a famous Arab philosopher and physician named Abu al-Walid Muhammad ibn Rushd, better known as Averroes, hailed from the city of Cordoba in modern-day Spain. His full name was Abu al-Walid Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Rushd al-Isa, indicating that he belonged to the Isa family lineage.

As the Islamic empires expanded, the surname "Isa" spread to other regions, including parts of Europe and Asia. In the 16th century, a renowned Ottoman historian and geographer named Mustafa bin Abdallah al-Isa al-Qadiri al-Rumi, known as Mustafa Al-Isa, wrote several books on the history and geography of the Ottoman Empire.

Another notable figure bearing the surname "Isa" was Ismail ibn Hammad al-Isa, a 19th-century Arab poet and scholar from Palestine. He was born in 1835 in the city of Nablus and is considered one of the pioneers of the Arab literary renaissance known as the Nahda.

Over the centuries, the surname "Isa" has also undergone various spelling variations, such as "Eissa," "Aissa," and "Issa," reflecting the diverse linguistic influences and dialects within the Arab world. While the name has maintained its strong connection to its Arabic roots, it has also been adopted by individuals of various ethnic and religious backgrounds, particularly in regions with historical ties to the Arab world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Isa

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Isa.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Isa was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Isa has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Isa was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Isa, please contact us.

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