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

Isaac, 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 Isaac surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Isaac in America

Isaac is the 1898th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Isaac surname appeared 18,903 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Isaac.

We can also compare 2010 data for Isaac 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 Isaac

The surname Isaac originated from the Hebrew name Yitzchak, which means "he will laugh." The name can be traced back to the biblical patriarch Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah, who was born when his parents were advanced in age, causing Sarah to laugh with joy upon hearing the news of her pregnancy.

The name Isaac likely entered European usage through its adoption by Jewish communities and later spread to various regions through migrations and cultural exchanges. It is believed that the surname Isaac first appeared in England during the Norman Conquest of 1066, when many Jewish families accompanied William the Conqueror from Normandy.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Isaac can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landholdings in England after the Norman Conquest. The entry "Isac de Gloucestre" refers to an individual named Isaac from Gloucestershire.

In the 12th century, the surname Isaac was prevalent among Jewish communities in England, as evidenced by records from the Pipe Rolls and other historical documents. Notable individuals from this period include Isaac of Norwich (c. 1110 - c. 1180), a Jewish scholar and philosopher, and Isaac the Scribe (fl. 1190-1210), a prominent scribe and calligrapher.

The surname Isaac also has a strong presence in various European countries, including France, Germany, and the Netherlands. In France, the name can be traced back to the 13th century, with records mentioning individuals such as Isaac de Corbeil (c. 1225 - c. 1300), a renowned Jewish physician and scholar.

In the 16th century, the surname Isaac gained prominence in Spain and Portugal, where it was often used by conversos, Jews who converted to Christianity during the Inquisition. One notable example is Isaac Abravanel (1437 - 1508), a renowned Portuguese philosopher, biblical commentator, and statesman.

In the 17th century, the surname Isaac became widespread in the Netherlands, particularly among the Sephardic Jewish community. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Isaac de Pinto (1717 - 1787), a Dutch-Jewish philosopher and economist.

Other notable individuals with the surname Isaac throughout history include Sir Saul Isaac (1618 - 1704), an English merchant and financier; Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902 - 1991), a Polish-American writer and Nobel laureate; and Sir Walter Isaac (1858 - 1940), a British civil servant and administrator.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Isaac

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

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 Isaac 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 Isaac 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 Isaac was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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