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

Ish, 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 Ish surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ish in America

Ish is the 60960th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ish surname appeared 330 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 Ish.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ish 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 Ish

The surname "Ish" is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages in the region now known as Germany. It is thought to have derived from the Old German word "isk," which meant "ice" or "frozen." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who lived in a particularly cold or icy area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Ish" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 12th century. In this text, a person named "Ysco Isk" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1173.

During the 13th century, the surname "Ish" also appears in records from the Holy Roman Empire, particularly in the areas of modern-day Bavaria and Austria. A notable figure bearing this name was Johannes Ish, a cleric and scholar who lived in the city of Regensburg in the late 1200s.

As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as "Ische," "Ischer," and "Yscher." One of the earliest known bearers of the name in England was William Ische, who is recorded as a resident of London in the 14th century.

In the 16th century, the surname "Ish" gained prominence in the Netherlands, where it was often associated with the city of Utrecht. A notable figure from this time was Pieter Ish, a prominent merchant and banker who lived from 1520 to 1592.

Another significant bearer of the "Ish" surname was Johann Isch, a German composer and organist who lived in the 17th century (1617-1677). He was known for his contributions to the development of Lutheran church music during the Baroque period.

As the name spread further across Europe, it also appeared in various forms in regions such as France, where it was sometimes spelled as "Isché," and in Italy, where it took the form "Ischi" or "Isco."

These are just a few examples of the rich history and varied spellings associated with the surname "Ish," which has its roots in the medieval German regions and has since spread across Europe, carrying with it a sense of connection to the icy or frozen environments that may have inspired its original use as a descriptive nickname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ish

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

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

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

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