Isaac

What Isaac means

Means “he laughs, he will laugh”

From Middle English Ysaac, from Latin Isaac, from Ancient Greek Ἰσαάκ (Isaák), from Hebrew יצחק (Yiṣḥāq, literally “he laughs, he will laugh”).

Source: Wiktionary, “Isaac” (revision 93931057), CC BY-SA 4.0. Quoted from the etymology; we don’t write our own.

How popular is Isaac?

US: Falling: down from #31 in 2015. England & Wales: Falling: down from #20 in 2015.

Biggest US share so far: 2013, when 10,134 boys got the name (#28 that year). First in the US records in 1880.

How common

• About 1 in 287 baby boys in the US in 2025
• About 1 in 204 baby boys in England and Wales in 2025
• About 1 in 255 baby boys in Scotland in 2025

“1 in N” divides by all listed births for that sex. The US list leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies, and the UK lists leave out names given to 2 or fewer, so the real figure is a little rarer than shown.

Where in the US

Most popular in DC (9.1 per 1,000 boys), MA (6.07 per 1,000 boys), MD (6.03 per 1,000 boys) in 2025.

SSA state data, 2025. Share of all listed boys born in each state.

US vs UK

Isaac is #47 in the US and #36 in England & Wales (2025).

Same sex as this page (boys). SSA (US), ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland).

Boy or girl?

In 2025, 99.8% of US babies named Isaac were boys.

Counts below the publishing threshold (US 5, UK 3) are not included.

How to say it

IPA from Wiktionary.

Other spellings parents chose in 2025

• Issac258 US · 61 E&W
• Isaak48 US · 12 E&W
• Isak38 US · 21 E&W
• Izaac44 US · 11 E&W
• Izaak41 US · 11 E&W
• Isac22 US · 6 E&W
• Isaaq0 US · 14 E&W
• Izac7 US

Names that sound the same and differ by a letter or two, with baby counts for the same sex. US and E&W counts.

If you like Isaac

Boys

• Luke#33Editor’s note Down from #28 in 2015 to #33 in 2025 in the US. About 1 in 250 US boys in the 2025 records
• Elijah#7“Yahweh is my god”^*
• Elisha#788Editor’s note Used for both: 85% of US babies named Elisha in 2025 were boys
• Jeremiah#88“Yahweh exalt”^*
• Malachi#134“my messenger”^*
• Isaiah#57Editor’s note Down from #49 in 2015 to #57 in 2025 in the US. About 1 in 320 US boys in the 2025 records

For a sister

• Isabella#7Form of Isabel, meaning “my God is an oath”^*
• Maya#62Editor’s note Steady in the US: #68 in 2015 and #62 in 2025. About 1 in 430 US girls in the 2025 records
• Gabriella#105Editor’s note Down from #54 in 2015 to #105 in 2025 in the US
• Daniella#468Form of Daniel, meaning “God is my judge”^*
• Anaiah#853Editor’s note First shows up in US records in 1983, with 6 babies
• Lydia#92“the region of Lydia”^*

Picked from the US top 1,000 in 2025: names Wiktionary also files under Bible, Hebrew, whose US popularity since 1990 rose and fell most like Isaac’s. Rank is US 2025.