# Isaac (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/isaac/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | “he laughs”, “he will laugh” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈaɪzək/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Izzy, Ike, Ikey |
| Variant spellings | Itzhak |
| US babies named this | 332,292 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 331,508 / 784 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 50,460, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Middle English Ysaac, from Latin Isaac, from Ancient Greek Ἰσαάκ (Isaák), from Hebrew יצחק (Yiṣḥāq, literally “he laughs, he will laugh”). Explained in Genesis as referring to his mother Sarah’s laughing when she was told she would have a son at her old age. The verb is masculine, however, perhaps due to its use as a boy’s name.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 12 | 9,609 |
| 2010 | 5 | 18,038 |
| 2011 | 8 | 12,607 |
| 2012 | 11 | 9,975 |
| 2013 | 7 | 13,720 |
| 2014 | 13 | 8,661 |
| 2015 | 12 | 9,169 |
| 2016 | 15 | 7,751 |
| 2017 | 12 | 8,994 |
| 2018 | 9 | 10,901 |
| 2019 | 11 | 9,352 |
| 2020 | 8 | 11,492 |
| 2023 | 7 | 12,663 |
| 2024 | 6 | 14,153 |
| 2025 | 10 | 9,719 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 9,607 | 35 |
| 2012 | 10,065 | 30 |
| 2013 | 10,134 | 28 |
| 2014 | 9,999 | 31 |
| 2015 | 9,988 | 31 |
| 2016 | 9,782 | 31 |
| 2017 | 8,894 | 32 |
| 2018 | 8,503 | 34 |
| 2019 | 8,231 | 34 |
| 2020 | 7,155 | 39 |
| 2021 | 6,987 | 40 |
| 2022 | 6,752 | 41 |
| 2023 | 6,621 | 42 |
| 2024 | 6,529 | 41 |
| 2025 | 5,953 | 47 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2,352 | 33 |
| 2012 | 2,682 | 30 |
| 2013 | 2,569 | 29 |
| 2014 | 2,636 | 25 |
| 2015 | 2,829 | 20 |
| 2016 | 2,662 | 20 |
| 2017 | 2,432 | 24 |
| 2018 | 2,578 | 20 |
| 2019 | 2,331 | 23 |
| 2020 | 2,074 | 21 |
| 2021 | 1,888 | 25 |
| 2022 | 1,733 | 26 |
| 2023 | 1,611 | 27 |
| 2024 | 1,360 | 37 |
| 2025 | 1,331 | 36 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: إِسْحَاق
- Armenian: Իսահակ, Սահակ
- Chinese: 艾薩克 /艾萨克
- Czech: Izák
- Danish: Isak
- Dutch: Izaäk, Izaak
- Finnish: Iisakki
- French: Isaac
- German: Isaak
- Greek: Ισαάκιος
- Hebrew: יִצְחָק
- Hungarian: Izsák
- Italian: Isacco
- Japanese: アイザック
- Korean: 아이작
- Norwegian: Isak
- Polish: Izaak
- Portuguese: Isaque
- Russian: Исаа́к, Иса́к, А́йзак
- Scottish Gaelic: Ìosag

## People named Isaac

- Isaac Newton, English mathematician and physicist (1642–1727)
- Isaac Asimov, American writer and biochemist (1920–1992)
- Isidor Isaac Rabi, American physicist (1898–1988)
- Isaac Hayes, American musician and actor (1942-2008)
- Isaac Barrow, English Christian theologian, and mathematician (1630-1677)
- Isaac Singer, American businessman; inventor of the Singer sewing machine (1811-1875)
- Isaac the Syrian, Eastern Orthodox saint
- Isaac Stern, American musician (1920–2001)
- Isaac Hempstead-Wright, English actor
- Antoine Isaac Silvestre de Sacy, French linguist and orientalist (1758–1838)
- Isaac Titsingh, Dutch diplomat (1745 - 1812)
- Yacouba Isaac Zida, Burkinabé military officer and politician

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.