The first name Israel
A boy’s name from Hebrew meaning “israel”, “kingdom/land of israel”, “he wrestles with god”.
Pronounced /ˈɪz.ɹeɪl/ 3 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Hebrew origin
Israel means “israel”, “kingdom/land of israel”, “he wrestles with god” in Hebrew.
From Middle English Israel, from Old English, borrowed from Latin Israel, from Ancient Greek Ἰσραήλ (Israḗl), from Hebrew יִשְׂרָאֵל (yisra'él, “Israel”). In the Bible, it is said to be from the name יִשְׂרֶה אֵל (yisré 'él) given to Jacob in Genesis 32:29, after which his descendants came to be known as Israelites and their land as the "kingdom/land of Israel". The personal name, already attested in Eblaite 𒅖𒊏𒅋 (iš-ra-il) and Ugaritic 𐎊𐎌𐎗𐎛𐎍 (yšrỉl), has been variously translated as "he wrestles with God", "he prevails with God", or "God rules" (possibly from the same root ש־ר־ה/ש־ר־ר as שָׂרָה (“Sarah”)). Line 27 of the Merneptah Stele (from about 1200 B.C.E.) is thought to contain the earliest attestation of the name Israel in any language, Egyptian ysrjꜣr. : i-i-z:Z1s*Z1s:r-i-A-r:Z1*T14-A1*B1:Z2 Doublet of Yisroel.
More names that mean god.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 39 boys were named Israel, making it the 822nd most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2018, with 75 births (#520).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Israel with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Israel at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 1,081 boys born in the United States were named Israel, the 315th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 2007, when 1,937 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Israel in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Israel in Catalan, Danish, Finnish, German, Indonesian, Latin, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog and Welsh too.
Nicknames and spellings
Famous people named Israel
45 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Israel ZangwillBritish Zionist author (1864–1926)
- Israel KirznerAmerican economist, born 1930
- Israel BroussardAmerican actor, born 1994
- Israel TsvaygenbaumAmerican artist, born 1961
- Israel RegardieAuthor and occultist (1907–1985)
- Israel PickensAmerican politician (1780-1827)
- Israel PutnamAmerican Revolutionary War general (1718–1790)
- Israel Albert HorowitzAmerican chess player (1907–1973)
- Israel FolauAustralian rugby league, Australian rules and rugby union footballer, born 1989
- Israel KeyesAmerican serial killer (1978–2012)
- Israel HernándezCuban judoka, born 1970
- Israel Hands18th-century pirate, 1701–1718
More Hebrew boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Israel mean?
- Israel means “israel”, “kingdom/land of israel”, “he wrestles with god” in Hebrew.
- What is the origin of the name Israel?
- From Middle English Israel, from Old English, borrowed from Latin Israel, from Ancient Greek Ἰσραήλ (Israḗl), from Hebrew יִשְׂרָאֵל (yisra'él, “Israel”). In the Bible, it is said to be from the name יִשְׂרֶה אֵל (yisré 'él) given to Jacob in Genesis 32:29, after which his descendants came to be…
- How popular is the name Israel?
- In 2025, 39 boys born in England and Wales were named Israel, ranking 822nd. Its peak was 2018, with 75 births.
- What are nicknames for Israel?
- Common nicknames for Israel include Izzy.
- Is Israel a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 98% of the 72,874 US babies named Israel since 1880 were boys.
- When was Israel most popular?
- 2007 in the United States, when 1,937 babies were named Israel, its highest rank at 204th.
- How do you pronounce Israel?
- Israel is /ˈɪz.ɹeɪl/, 3 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Israel?
- Isreal, Yisrael and Israhel.
- Is Israel also a surname?
- Yes. Israel is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.