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 20099th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Isaac surname appeared 1,329 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 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 ISSAC is of Hebrew origin and is derived from the biblical name Isaac, meaning "he will laugh" or "he laughs" in Hebrew. The name is believed to have been adopted as a surname by Jews living in various parts of Europe during the Middle Ages.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname ISSAC can be traced back to the late 11th century in England. It is thought that the name was brought to England by Jewish refugees fleeing persecution in France and other parts of Europe. The surname is mentioned in various historical records, including the Pipe Rolls of 1166 and the Cartulary of St. Neots Priory in Huntingdonshire.

In the 13th century, the surname ISSAC was also found in parts of Germany and the Netherlands. One notable example is that of Rabbi Jacob ben ISSAC of Janow, a prominent Jewish scholar who lived in the late 13th century and authored several works on Jewish law and philosophy.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the ISSAC surname spread to other parts of Europe, including Italy and Spain. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in Spain was that of Joseph ISSAC, a Jewish physician who lived in the city of Seville in the late 15th century.

In the 18th century, the ISSAC surname began to appear in various parts of the British Empire, including the American colonies and the West Indies. One notable figure from this period was Abraham ISSAC, a merchant and plantation owner who lived in Jamaica in the mid-18th century.

Other notable individuals with the surname ISSAC include:

1. Benjamin ISSAC (1643-1712), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from London who founded the ISSAC Trust for the education of Jewish children.
2. Sir Rufus ISSAC (1819-1899), a British lawyer and politician who served as the Solicitor General for England and Wales from 1886 to 1892.
3. Madeleine ISSAC (1926-2020), a French writer and Holocaust survivor who wrote extensively about her experiences during World War II.
4. David ISSAC (1925-2009), a British actor and comedian best known for his role in the sitcom "Mind Your Language" in the late 1970s.
5. Michael ISSAC (1961-), a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League from 1982 to 1995.

While the spelling ISSAC is relatively rare today, it remains an important part of the Jewish cultural and historical heritage, with its roots stretching back to ancient biblical times.

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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