# Isaac (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/isaac/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Latin |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 18,903 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,898 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 16,333 people |
| Change since 2000 | +16% (16,312 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈaɪzək/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## 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.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Isaac in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 40% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 40% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 9.5% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 4.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 2.9% |
| Two or more races | 2.6% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Isaac in the United States.

## People named Isaac

- Jonathan Isaac, American basketball player (born 1997)
- James Isaac, American film director (1960–2012)
- Bobby Isaac, American racecar driver (1932-1977)

## Similar surnames

Isaak, Issac, Isaacs, Isaza, Ickes, Ishikawa, Isais, Ishak.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.