2000
#2,039
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,312
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.05
Uncommon Last name
Isaac
From a biblical name meaning "he will laugh," which later came to be used as a surname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,968 Americans carry the last name Isaac. That puts it at #1,838 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,602 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Isaac surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Isaac with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,602
Census rank
#1,838
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,157 bearers of the surname Isaac in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1838th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Isaac, the largest self-reported group is Black at 39.8%. The next largest groups are White (37.4%) and Hispanic (10.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Isaac
Among Census respondents with the surname Isaac, the largest self-reported group is Black at 39.8%. The next largest groups are White (37.4%) and Hispanic (10.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Isaac bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Isaac surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American39.8% · 7,631
- White37.4% · 7,159
- Hispanic or Latino10.0% · 1,909
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.5% · 1,062
- Two or more races4.5% · 862
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 534
Timeline
Historical Census data for Isaac
Isaac appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,898
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,903
+2,591 bearers (+15.9%)
Per 100,000 6.41
Rank movement Up 141 places
2020
#1,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,157
+254 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 6.41
Rank movement Up 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,039 | 16,312 | 6.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,898 | 18,903 | 6.41 | +2,591 bearers (+15.9%) | Up 141 places |
| 2020 | #1,838 | 19,157 | 6.41 | +254 bearers (+1.3%) | Up 60 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Isaac surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,898 | #1,838 | 3.2% |
| Count | 18,903 | 19,157 | 1.3% |
| Per 100K | 6.41 | 6.41 | -0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Isaac bearers went from 18,903 to 19,157 (+1.3% change). The surname moved up 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,898 to #1,838.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Isaac
FAQ
Isaac surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Isaac?
Name Census estimates that about 21,968 living Americans carry the surname Isaac. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,602 residents.
How common is Isaac?
Isaac ranks #1,838 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,157 people with the surname Isaac. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,968), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Isaac.
Has Isaac become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Isaac went from 18,903 recorded bearers to 19,157. That is an increase of 254 (+1.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,898 to #1,838.
What does the Census say about the background of Isaac?
Among Census respondents with the surname Isaac, the largest self-reported group is Black at 39.8%. The next largest groups are White (37.4%) and Hispanic (10.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Isaac in the 2020 Census, accounting for 39.8% (7,631 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Isaac appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (39.8%), White (37.4%), Hispanic (10.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Isaac (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Isaac mean?
From a biblical name meaning "he will laugh," which later came to be used as a surname. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Isaac (6.41 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Isaac?
Want to know how common the surname Isaac is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.