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

Ismail, 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 Ismail surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ismail in America

Ismail is the 5668th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ismail surname appeared 6,126 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Ismail.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ismail 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 Ismail

The surname Ismail is of Arabic origin, derived from the personal name Ismail, which means "God hears" or "God listens." It is a name with deep roots in the Islamic world and can be traced back to the Middle Ages.

The name's earliest recorded instances can be found in historical manuscripts and records from the 7th century, during the spread of Islam across the Middle East and North Africa. It is believed that the name was initially adopted by those who embraced the Islamic faith, as it carries significant religious and cultural significance.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Ismail was Abu Bakr Ismail ibn Abi al-Mundhir (born around 800 CE), a renowned Islamic scholar and theologian from Baghdad. He was known for his contributions to the study of Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) and Islamic jurisprudence.

Another notable figure bearing the surname Ismail was Ismail I, the first Shah of the Safavid Dynasty in Persia (modern-day Iran). He ruled from 1501 to 1524 and is credited with establishing Shia Islam as the official religion of the Persian Empire.

In the 14th century, the name Ismail appeared in the historic Catalan Atlas, a world map created by the Majorcan cartographer Abraham Cresques. The map features a reference to the city of Ismail, located in present-day Ukraine, which may have been named after an individual with the surname.

During the Ottoman Empire, the name Ismail was widely used among the ruling elite and military leaders. One prominent example is Ismail Pasha al-Azm (1805-1857), a statesman and governor of Damascus who played a significant role in the modernization of the Ottoman Empire.

Another notable figure with the surname Ismail was Sir Ismail Mohammed Said Pasha (1863-1939), an Egyptian diplomat and politician who served as Prime Minister of Egypt from 1932 to 1933. He was instrumental in negotiating the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936, which granted Egypt greater independence from British rule.

While the surname Ismail originated in the Arabic-speaking world, it has since spread to various regions and cultures through migration, trade, and cultural exchange. Today, individuals bearing the surname Ismail can be found across the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Europe and Asia, reflecting the name's rich history and diverse cultural influences.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ismail

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!