Ishi
Ishi was the last known member of the Native American Yahi people from the present-day state of California in the United States. The rest of the Yahi were killed in the California genocide in the 19th century.
Meaning & Origin of Ishi
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Ishi was the last known member of the Native American Yahi people from the present-day state of California in the United States. The rest of the Yahi were killed in the California genocide in the 19th century.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Ishi
As a girl name
Ishi first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 2006, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2014: 13 births, good for #8,483 nationwide. About 71% of every Ishi on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. Ishi last appeared in the published SSA data in 2023, with 8 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 112 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 2000s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
American parents first put Ishi on the record books as a boy name in 1979, with 7 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1979, when 7 Ishis were born — ranking #4,842 that year. Ishi last appeared in the published SSA data in 1979, with 7 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 7 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Ishi
Phonetically similar names — useful when Ishi 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 Ishi
What does the name Ishi mean?
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About the name Ishi
Ishi is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2006 and has accumulated 112 births in the dataset. Ishi's peak popularity came in 2014 when it ranked #8,483. Use the chart and map above to compare Ishi's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2014 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "I" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.