Ishan
Īshān is an honorific title given to Sufi leaders in Central Asia. According to Jianping Wang, "In the Sufi doctrine found in E[ast] Turkestan, the ishan has a serene nature, acting as an intermediary between Muslims and Allah. An ishan has leadership over his group, and can nominate his khalifa and hafiz as well as initiating maulid and buwi into the sub-order.
Meaning & Origin of Ishan
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Īshān is an honorific title given to Sufi leaders in Central Asia. According to Jianping Wang, "In the Sufi doctrine found in E[ast] Turkestan, the ishan has a serene nature, acting as an intermediary between Muslims and Allah. An ishan has leadership over his group, and can nominate his khalifa and hafiz as well as initiating maulid and buwi into the sub-order.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Ishan
Ishan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1982, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2009, when 148 Ishans were born — ranking #1,214 that year. As of 2026, Ishan ranks #2,157 for baby boys with 69 births, falling sharply (-18%). In total, more than 3K Ishans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Ishan
Phonetically similar names — useful when Ishan is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ishan
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About the name Ishan
Ishan is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1982 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Ishan's peak popularity came in 2009 when it ranked #1,214. Use the chart and map above to compare Ishan's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2009 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "I" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.