2000
#8,090
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,775
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.40
Uncommon Last name
Ismail
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "God will hear" or "God has heard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,044 Americans carry the last name Ismail. That puts it at #3,934 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,125 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ismail 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 Ismail with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 34,125
Census rank
#3,934
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,759 bearers of the surname Ismail in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3934th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ismail, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.1%. The next largest groups are Black (30.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (20.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ismail
Among Census respondents with the surname Ismail, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.1%. The next largest groups are Black (30.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (20.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ismail 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 Ismail surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White42.1% · 3,690
- Black or African American30.6% · 2,678
- Asian and Pacific Islander20.9% · 1,828
- Two or more races4.6% · 400
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 157
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ismail
Ismail 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
#5,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,126
+2,351 bearers (+62.3%)
Per 100,000 2.08
Rank movement Up 2,422 places
2020
#3,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,759
+2,633 bearers (+43.0%)
Per 100,000 2.93
Rank movement Up 1,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,090 | 3,775 | 1.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,668 | 6,126 | 2.08 | +2,351 bearers (+62.3%) | Up 2,422 places |
| 2020 | #3,934 | 8,759 | 2.93 | +2,633 bearers (+43.0%) | Up 1,734 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 Ismail 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 | #5,668 | #3,934 | 30.6% |
| Count | 6,126 | 8,759 | 43.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.08 | 2.93 | 40.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ismail bearers went from 6,126 to 8,759 (+43.0% change). The surname moved up 1,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,668 to #3,934.
FAQ
Ismail surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ismail?
Name Census estimates that about 10,044 living Americans carry the surname Ismail. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,125 residents.
How common is Ismail?
Ismail ranks #3,934 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,759 people with the surname Ismail. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,044), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Ismail.
Has Ismail become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ismail went from 6,126 recorded bearers to 8,759. That is an increase of 2,633 (+43.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,668 to #3,934.
What does the Census say about the background of Ismail?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ismail, the largest self-reported group is White at 42.1%. The next largest groups are Black (30.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (20.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ismail in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.1% (3,690 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ismail appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (42.1%), Black (30.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (20.9%). 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 Ismail (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 Ismail mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "God will hear" or "God has heard." 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 Ismail (2.93 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 have the last name Ismail?
If you just want to know how many people are called Ismail, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.